World Wrestling review - Nintendo Entertainment System

Ever fancied dipping your toes into the zany, madcap world of wrestling? Well, with this new Nintendo cart you can do just that, without the need to suddenly eat a massive lard mountain and put on a pair of ill-fitting, gaudy trunks. Tecmo's latest takes you to the USA, where the sport of wrestling has a slightly more theatrical air (indeed, most of the bouts seem to be scripted) and each of the participants seem to be violence-crazed egomaniacs!

First of all, on the one-player game, a wrestler is chosen. After that there is the opportunity to take your muscle bound mauler to the gym where those pecs can honed to perfection. Then it's into the ring itself where the real business of causing bodily damage to your opponent begins.

The object is pretty straightforward: either to hold down your opponent for the count of three, or beat him into submission!

What the Mean Machines staff thought

It really disturbs me that such a blatantly violent game can be so fun! World Wrestling's greatest attraction is definitely the amount of moves crammed in. You really feel the pain when your on-screen character is unceremoniously thrown out of the ring and while out for the count mercilessly gets a knee straight in the family jewels! Playing the game in two-player mode is where you have the biggest laffs, as the computer opponents won't really keep you that occupied for long. One to look out for, methinks.

I watch WWF Wrestling on Sky telly and think it's a great laugh, and I'm pleased to see that all the fun and action has been captured in this console version of the sport, with each wacky wrestler capable of an incredible variety of moves - some of them are amazing! The commentary that appears under the main screen is a laugh - it's as inane as the real thing! If you're looking at the screenshots, don't be misled. The graphics might look simple when they're static, but it's a different kettle of fish when they're moving - the animation is superb, and there are loads of neat touches like the spanging ropes and clambering back into the ring when you get chucked out! If you're after a thoroughly enjoyable game packed with loads of original features, wrestle this from your software dealer.