This month's nomination for most unlikely sports sim goes to Mindscape for American Club Sports. Test your
mental and physical abilities by participating in six gruelling events which include table football, pinball
and billiards.
The first event is Table Football in which you control six players on rods. The rods may be swung forward and back
and moved from side-to-side to position your players to kick the ball. The idea of the game is to score the required
number of goals before your opponent does.
The next event is billiards. There are two versions available. English Billiards is played on a standard table and you
score points by potting balls or hitting both other balls. Carom Billiards is palyed on a table with no pockets and the
only way to score is to hit both other balls. The first player to reach a set score wins.
The object of the next game, 3D Pinball, is to accumulate as many points as you can by making the ball collide with
the various obstructions. Use the flippers at the end of the table to keep each ball in play for as long as possible.
The fourth event is Skeeball, the idea of which is to roll a ball up a ramp and into a target. Points are awarded depending
on where you hit it. You can play against the clock or with a limited number of balls. The winner is the player with
the highest average score.
The penultimate event is the Shooting Gallery. Try to acquire the greatest number of points by shooting the various
targets which include ducks, rabbits, birds, frogs and fish. You can play against the clock or with a fixed number of
shots. The player with the highest score wins.
The last game is Crazy Pool. The idea is to use your cue ball to hit all seven object balls into one of the two holes
in the table. To make it a little more difficult there are bumpers on the table that act like extra cushions.
Graphics are of a high standard in all events and make good use of colour. Owing to the fact that there are six different
games they´re also quite varied. The sound isn´t to the same standard, there is very little variation and what there is
is nothing special.
At the first the games are quite playable. well thought out control systems and the option of a human or computer
opponent in most events all add to the initial enjoyment of trying to break the record scores. Unfortunately the games
all become repetitious very quickly and monotony sets in.
All the events feature loads of options but because of the simplasric nature of the games I don't think that American
Club Sports will hold your interest for more than a couple of days.