FACEOFF!

 FACEOFF! is a hockey simulation written by Mindspan Technologies and published
by Gamestar. Colorful and action-packed, FACEOFF! has excellent graphics, smooth
animation, Practice, Exhibition, and League play, Coaching, Managing, and
Statistical functions, Playbook editor, two-player mode, two players against the
computer mode, three skill levels, a Shotcam, a Fightcam, joystick control, and
copy protection. The Commodore 64/128 version is the basis of this review.

 I've read reviews of FACEOFF! in other publications, and the consensus is that
it's nothing special. In a way, that's true, for there are plenty of sports
games around. Then again, if there's any developer that knows sports, it's
Gamestar, and FACEOFF! is a prime example of how exemplary their simulations
are. Play is smooth, fast, and glitch-free. What's more, there are no
indications of "advanced coding," such as those that destroyed POWERPLAY HOCKEY.
Finally, the coaching and managing bells and whistles, which took away from play
in SUPERSTAR ICE HOCKEY, fit well into FACEOFF!

 All pre-game choices are made through menus. The Options menu lets you set the
type of game (1- or 2-player), the minutes per period (3, 8, 20), the number of
players per team (2, 4, 6), skill level of a computer opponent (Rookies,
Veterans, All-Stars), and the rules (Full, Relaxed, Aussie). Both Shotcam and
Fightcam can be toggled here as well.

 In Practice mode, you can work on shooting, goal-tending, and fighting. In
Exhibition mode, the full games that can be played (for practice or simply as an
arcade game) won't have any effect on League standings. In League mode, you can
play out a complete season as general manager, player, coach, or even the
commissioner of the Gamestar Hockey League.

 As GHL Commissioner, you can set the schedule structure of a season -- starting
with the number of regular-season games to be played, through the Division and
Conference playoff games, and up to the GHL Title. As a General Manager, you'll
be responsible for trading players, moving players between major and minor
leagues, retiring players, and editing players' names and statistics.

 As coach, you change and modify team lines, call timeouts, pull the goalie, and
(in the Playbook editor) formulate your own plays.

 Assuming the preliminary activity has been taken care of, the C64 screen
display consists of a hockey rink, which scrolls as play moves from net to net.
Above the rink are the scoreboard (score, period, time remaining). To the left
and right of the scoreboard are the team names and six power bars (three for
each team) indicating the player lines: The blinking number shows which line is
currently on the ice, and the bar shrinks as the line tires.

 Teams are color-coded, as is the player under your control. You can skate in
any direction. When you're controlling the puck, you can shoot or pass; when
you're not controlling the puck, you can cross-check or poke-check your
opponents. Cross-checks are more like body slams, and if you don't enjoy them,
you can retaliate and start a fight, which activates the Fightcam. The Fightcam
is a closeup of two players beating each other's heads in.

 If you manage to get close enough to your opponent's net to take a shot, the
Shotcam will be activated. The Shotcam is a view from behind your player as he
bears down on the goalie. When an opponent bears down on your net, you see the
same view but you'll control your goalie.

 FACEOFF! is controlled mostly with the joystick, which handles menu
highlighting and selections, and all player movement, shooting, passing, and
fighting. Keystrokes are used to change team lines (Spacebar), pull or reinstate
the goalie (Commodore key), and call pre-set plays from the Playbook (1, 2, 3,
4). Run/Stop pauses, Control-R restarts the game, and keystroke "C" calls up
menu options during a faceoff.

 During play, the stick moves your player in any direction. When you have the
puck, the button or the stick (or both) is used for shooting and passing. If a
teammate has the puck and you want it, press the button and he'll pass it to
you; a wrist shot (or a pass) is accomplished by pressing the button, then
pushing the stick in a direction. Slapshots can be taken by pressing and
releasing the button, or they can be faked by pressing the button once (which
lets the player wind up), and then pressing the button again (which stops the
shot). During a faceoff, the stick changes the player you control.

 When you're defending, you can cross-check by holding the button down as you
approach an opponent. Quick button-presses perform poke-checks.

 The GHL Playbook has sixteen pages, four of which are taken up by pre-set
plays. As Coach, you can fill up the remaining twelve pages with plays you
design, and select four of them to use in a game: They work beautifully, too!
With the Playbook editor, you can select players from a line (center, wingers,
defensemen), and set up a play -- which consists of movement, passing, and a
slapshot. The play will be recorded on an empty page in the Playbook. Any play
already in the Playbook can be edited, which brings up the only (minor) flaw of
FACEOFF!

 There is no save option, and the program disk is not write-protected, which
means that most anything done to the Playbook (especially deletions) will be
permanent. You can't really destroy the disk, but you can alter or delete plays
accidentally. With some attention to what you're doing, though, this won't be a
big problem.

 The FACEOFF! package comes with one copy-protected disk and a complete
instruction manual, on which appears the great tag line: "I went to the fights
and a hockey game broke out."

 Although FACEOFF! places some emphasis on fighting, there's nothing like a
well-played hockey game: If you've ever been to one, you know what I mean.
Toggling the Fightcam off doesn't detract from the game, and in fact, makes it
more exciting. FACEOFF! looks great on the Commodore. The colors are bright and
clear, and the fast and smooth-moving players are nicely animated. A puck
quickly traveling the length of the ice (which, when playing Full rules, leads
to an icing call) sometimes causes an abrupt (but necessary) jump in the
otherwise smooth scrolling.

 With twelve players on the ice, the action is fast and furious, even though
indirection is used. There were no screen glitches, no flicker, and FACEOFF!
played like a charm. This is an excellent game.

 FACEOFF! is published by Gamestar and distributed by Mediagenic.

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253