ADVERT Can you make it to the top?.... Compare your talents in this test of fitness and finesse. Now you can help Gaz limber up in his private gymnasium. You know the sort of thing: press-ups, squat thrusts, weight lifting and moneky bar swinging. There's a time limit on each exercise - you could end up starting from the beginning again. Rotten bleeder! INTRODUCTION Hot on the heels of the hugely successful SUPERSTAR SOCCER comes SUPERSKILLS, again endorsed by England's star striker. International stardom is seldom achieved by skill alone. To command a permanent place in the national team means dedication - dedication to hard work and training. The national coach has designed an extensive training program which will improve your fitness, ball control, sharpness and accuracy. Even some of the most talented players have fallen by the wayside due to their lack of dedication in training. Can you prove yourself to be both mentally and physically more agile and alert? THE TRAINING PROGRAMME Your training is divided into three sections. The Gym Section This is designed to improve your overall fitness and stamina, and is sub-divided into: a) Push-ups b) Squat thrusts c) Weight training d) Monkey bars Ball Juggling This is designed to improve ball control and sharpness. Field Work This improves your ball control, sharpness and accuracy, and is sub-divided into: a) Dribbling b) Chipping c) Shooting d) Penalties There are three difficulty levels to choose from:- a) Novice - for beginners and amateurs b) Apprentice - for players striving for a first team place. c) Professional - for first teamers dedicated to winning an international cap. The Field Event can be split into three parts: 1. Scrolling section (cones, flags, etc.) 2. Penalty 3. Tyres in net. 1. The speed of the scrolling is determined by the skill level (NOVICE - slowest, PRO - fastest). Cones will appear, scrolling down the screen, dribble the ball around the cones, an arrow in the coaches panel will show you which side of the cone to kick the ball from. Flags will appear from time to time (these are replaced by goals in some versions), the ball will be taken from you and placed to the right of the upper flag. Once the ball has been placed it must be kicked between the two flags (goal). 2. At the end of each scrolling section a goalkeeper will appear in front of the goal mouth. To score, position the ball by kicking it left or right. Speed is of the essence, as the goalkeeper will follow the ball. As soon as the ball is in position, quickly run up to the ball and kick it into the net. The goalkeeper's reactions are determined by the skill level chosen. 3. This is the tyre section which can only be reached after successfully scoring a goal in the previous part. The screen shows a goal with five tyres suspended in it. The idea is to kick the ball through the centre of each tyre. Do this by positioning the cross hair on the ball and kicking by pressing Fire. The direction of the ball can also be affected by wind speed and direction. If the wind speed is strong it will send the ball considerably off course. Once a ball is kicked through the centre of a tyre it will spin half way round so it cannot be hit again. If you manage to score through the centre of all the tyres before the event timer elapses a bonus will be given. You will then return to the previous section which will be at a higher level therefore at a faster speed. The Gym Section GAME PLAY At the start of the bame a time limit is given for the WHOLE GAME. This time is constantly on screen adjacent to the letter 'T'. The time remaining for the event being played is shown next to the letter 'E'. If the 'T' time reaches 00:00, then the game is over. You have the option to train alone or with your team mates. Each team member may choose his own skill level. You may change your skill level at the end of each section. Each part of the gym section must be completed before you can attempt the next jump. Should you fail to complete a section, you have the option to either repeat it or continue to the next section. Your pulse rate and energy level is constantly monitored - they can both be modified by either opting to take a rest or drinking glucose. Under certain circumstances, the coach will order you to rest or drink (this takes up more time than a voluntary rest, it is therefore better to rest sensibly, than to be forced to rest). In the field section ensure that you move to the left of the blue cones, right of the red cones. CONTROLS IN THE GYM Press-Ups: To push up - Joystick left and right rapidly. To lower down - Joystick down. Squat Thrusts: Knees Forward - Fire then hold right. Knees Backward - Fire then hold left. Weight Lifting: Lift up/down - Up & Down. Fire changes direction. Monkey Bars: Jump up - Fire. Grab bar - Up, at the correct time while swinging. Drop down - Down. FIELD WORK Slalom (Dribbling, Chipping, Shooting) Move - Joystick direction. Kick - Fire. Penalties (Tyres) Move crosshair - Joystick direction. Kick - Fire. Fixed Keys To take a rest - R. To take a drink - D. Ball Juggling At the bottom of the screen you will see a set of numbers, each one corresponding to a particular move. The moves are as follows:- 1. Heading 2. Left Shoulder 3. Right Shoulder 4. Left Knee 5. Right Knee 6. Neck 7. Left Kick 8. Right Kick 9. Spin (this is not in the Commodore 64 version). These numbers will change colour when the required number of moves has been done. Without FIRE button LEFT - Move Left LEFT+UP - Spin UP - Move Back UP+RIGHT - Spin RIGHT - Move Right RIGHT+DOWN - Spin DOWN - Move Forward DOWN+LEFT - Spin With FIRE button LEFT - Left Knee LEFT+UP - Left Shoulder UP - Head UP+RIGHT - Right Shoulder RIGHT - Right Knee RIGHT+DOWN - Right Kick DOWN - Neck DOWN+LEFT - Left Kick