European Soccer Challenge

---

This portable soccer game truly scores
by Brett J. Daly

April 6, 1997

European Soccer Challenge was the second soccer game to touch down on the Lynx and was Telegames' (who will soon be releasing two new Lynx games) first Lynx sports title. ESC allows you to choose from more teams then you will probably ever get a chance to play which is 170 from 32 countries! ESC also allows for two player play via the Com-Lynx cable and you are allowed to play in either a friendly match or a tournament.

Once you turn on the game, you are greeted with a quality soundtrack while going through the options screens. The graphics are of very high quality and you are generally allowed to see 1/4 of the field. Also, there is a very good use of detail and colors in this game. The players are of a very good size. They're small enough to give you a very good view of the field, but not so small that you are left squinting. And despite their size they still exhibit a very fair amount of detail. Graphically, ESC excels and was done about as perfectly as it could be on a portable.

On the other hand, the sound effects in this game are far from perfect. The music only occurs before and between games which is well done, but the effects during the game though are very basic and the noise is rather sparsely used. You hear the basic sounds of the ball being kicked, the refs whistle and that is about it.

The gameplay is very well done and the control is very responsive and done nicely. Though it will take a little learning. You are allowed to execute the full slate of soccer moves and of course you need to avoid getting the cards which will be given in this game as expected. My only minor gripe is that I find the players speed to be a little slow at times. But maybe it is just because I am used to the overly fast controls of Fever Pitch Soccer on the Jaguar. Overall, the gameplay is very well designed and makes this game a large success!

European Soccer Challenge is a very good soccer game and is one of the best sports games on the Lynx. It's is superior to it's counterpart in World Class Soccer. This game is done to near perfection in almost all areas with the expectation of sound. If you are in the market for a soccer game for the Lynx, European Soccer Challenge is highly recommended and Krisalis Software deserves to be commended for this effort!