virgin interactive entertainment presents

GOAL!

INTRODUCTION
Football (known as Soccer in some countries) is a game enjoyed by millions
around the world. Now you can experience the most playable and action packed
football game from the comfort of your own armchair. Goal! offers an enormous
number of features both on and off the pitch.

Off the pitch you can set up your own league and cup competitions, pick up to
32 teams at once from a pre-defined list of 144 or create your own, choose
from a selection of different pitch types, weather conditions, officials,
alter the length of each match, change the view (from large to small scale) or
change the pitch orientation to play left to right or up and down.

On the pitch, winning requires skilful running, passing, chipping, heading,
tackling and shooting. All of the set pieces found in real soccer are here -
throw ins, corners, free kicks, goal kicks and penalties. Players can be
injured, substituted and booked. Action can be replayed at any point, and
saved to disk to create your own match highlights. The crowd also plays its
part. Hear them roar as you approach the penalty area and chant as the game
reaches its climax. All this and much more is included in Goal!, so why are we
waiting?

FOOTBALL
An overview for beginners
Football is the world's favourite ball game. It is believed to have developed
from simple contests between rival medieval towns, and has grown from a
popular amateur sport in the 19th Century into one of the world's great
spectator entertainment's. Millions of people also play the game for
recreation.

In the unlikely event that you don't know the basic rules of the game, here is
an overview for beginners of the rules followed by Goal!

FOOTBALL RULES
Goal! is played with a round ball between two teams of eleven players each
(plus two substitutes). One player on each side must be a Goal Keeper, and
only they can handle the ball during play (although they are restricted to
using their hands within their own Goal area). Their job is to defend their
goal from the opposing team who will attempt to knock the ball past them and
into the net behind.

The other ten players kick, head and pass the ball to each other in an attempt
to knock the ball into the opponents' goal. These players are divided into
three types:

Defenders -
They must stop the opposing team from shooting at the goal.

Midfielders -
They play mainly in the middle area of the field (hence the name) but often
help out in attack or defence when required.

Forwards -
These players will try to score the goals, although other players in the team
can also try if they are given the chance.

Players are allowed to try and get the ball off the opposition by tackling
them. However, if the tackle is judged by the referee to be illegal then it is
called a foul and the team who were fouled are awarded a free kick. If a foul
is committed by a player in his own teams penalty area then a penalty kick is
awarded to the opposition. When a player commits a foul, there is a chance
that he will be warned, booked (a yellow card) or sent off (a red card). What
actually happens is determined by the referee. If the player is exceptionally
lucky he might get away without being penalised at all!

If the ball is knocked outside the touchlines then a throw in is awarded to
the opposing team.

A match is divided into two halves of equal duration. If any players are
injured during a game then the time lost is added to the end of each half as
injury time. Some matches can go into Extra Time if the result at the end is a
draw. Sometimes Penalties are called upon to decide a match if it is still
drawn after Extra Time.

Each match kicks off from the centre circle at the start of each half.
Whenever a goal is scored the team who conceded the goal kick off again from
the centre circle.

Teams swap ends at half time. This means they will play in the opposite
direction in the second half. The winning team is the one that scores the most
goals.

THE FOOTBALL PITCH
Various markings are found on the pitch that define particular areas. These
are:

The Goal line - The line behind the goal, stretching from one corner to the
other (in the same half of the pitch). If the ball goes out of play after
being kicked by the attacking team, then a Goal kick is awarded.


The Goal area - Defined for placing the ball when a Goal kick is required.

The Penalty area - The Goal Keeper can handle the ball in the Penalty area or
the Goal area but nowhere else. An attacking player fouled in either area will
be awarded a Penalty kick.

The Penalty spot - This is where the ball is placed when a Penalty kick is
awarded.

Corners - If the defending team knock the ball out of play over their own goal
line then a corner is awarded. The ball is kicked back into play by the
attacking team from within this small area.

The Touchline - These lines mark the sides of the pitch.

Half way line - This is the middle division of the pitch, showing where one
half ends and the other begins.

Centre circle - The team who aren't kicking off must not enter this circle
until the ball has been played by the opposition. This only applies at kick
off.

Football aficionado's will notice the inclusion of the recent back pass rule
which stops a Goal Keeper from using his hands if the ball is passed back to
him by one of his own players. The 'Keeper will immediately kick the ball back
up the pitch under these circumstances.

The off-side rule has not been implemented in Goal! as it was felt that it
would detract from the playability and flow of the game.

MASTERING THE MENUS
From the Main Menu you can set up and play in your own League or Cup
competition, participate in a single match, practice ball control and
penalties, plus much more.

There are a number of different options available. To select them you must
move the pointer (shaped like a football) over the option you want with your
mouse (or joystick) and click the left mouse button (or press fire) to confirm
your choice.

QUICK START
To get onto the pitch with the minimum of fuss, select the Practice option. On
the next screen, select the Speed box until it says Novice, then choose Free
Practice. On the next screen select Continue. The final screen requires you to
hold and press down fire for a few seconds before you are let out onto the
pitch. If you get a message mentioning "Possible auto-fire detected on
joystick" turn off your auto-fire switch then try again.

You are now in a practice match against a computer controlled Goal Keeper. For
information on how to control the players, kick the ball, pass, shoot etc.
please read the 'Player Control' section.

Practice will finish at the end of the first half. If you want to abort before
then, press Escape to take you back to the Main Menu.

You won't be able to practice tackling, free kicks or penalties but you will
learn to dribble, pass and shoot with the ball.

Now select the Single Match option. You might want to select the Speed Play
option at the bottom of the next screen. The screens that follow are almost
identical to those you saw in Practice, so select Continue on the first
screen, then hold down fire on the next to get out onto the pitch.

You are now playing a one player match against the computer. This will be your
first competitive match against opposition. If you want to quit at any point,
press Escape and select Quit.

THE MAIN MENU
All of the features from the Main Menu are now described in detail.

OPTIONS
You can change a number of features before you play a Single Match or Practice
by choosing to alter the options from the Main Menu. (League and Cup matches
have their own separate Options screens but they are very similar to the one
found here).

The pitch type affects the way the ball behaves when it makes contact with the
surface.

Normal - This is a standard league pitch.

Wet - Wet - The ball will travel further on a wet pitch. There is also reduced
bounce.

Muddy - The ball tends not to go so far when passed along the ground on a
muddy pitch. The ball bounces even less than on a wet pitch.

Wembley - The best surface available. Similar to a normal pitch but the bounce
is slightly higher.

Random- This will randomly select one of the four pitch types for you. This is
the best way to solve any arguments when two players prefer different pitch
types!


(2) Duration
The length of the game can be altered using this option. You can choose from
1,3,5,10 or 20 minute halves. Each match consists of two halves played for the
same duration.

(3) Wind
Wind affects the way the ball behaves when it is off the ground. It can either
be On or Off. The strength and direction of the wind is shown before you get
out onto the pitch.

(4) Keeper Level
For most of a match, the Goal Keepers in a player's team will be under
computer control. The settings here affect how the 'Keepers in both teams
(player or computer) will perform. Note that they have no effect when a player
takes control of the 'Keeper for Goal Kicks or Penalties. The settings are
Hard, Medium or Easy. The main differences between these settings is a
variation in the 'Keepers speed of reaction and their overall accuracy when
going for the ball.

(5) Replays
Whenever a goal is scored you can relive the moment by watching an action
replay. These settings affect how and when you see them. Auto - After each
goal is scored, it is replayed automatically. Auto-Save - The goal is replayed
and saved to disk automatically. This requires a 'Replays' disk to have been
previously created via the 'Clear Disk' at the bottom of the Options screen.

Off - Turns them off completely. You can force an action replay at any time.
It does not have to be after a goal. Simply press R during a game and the last
10 seconds or so will be replayed. The game resumes immediately after the
replay is over. If you wish to save the replay to disk, press Enter during the
replay. You will need a Replays disk inserted in your internal drive. See
'Other features' for further information.

(6) View
Here you can choose the orientation of the pitch. Which way you play is down
to personal choice. The default setting is vertical. Vertical - This will view
the match vertically (up/down). Horizontal - This will view the match
horizontally (left/right).

(7) Scale
The pitch and players can be shown in two different scales. Both are available
during a match.

Auto - The game is viewed in a closer zoomed in scale except at set pieces
(throw ins, corners, goal kicks, free kicks) when it zooms out to the wider
scale automatically.

Zoomed in - This will force the game to be viewed in the closer zoomed in
scale all the time, even at set pieces.

Zoomed out - This will force the game to be viewed in the wider zoomed out
scale all the time, showing more of the pitch as a result.

You can also force a change in scale during a game or action replay by
pressing the Spacebar. This will toggle between the zoomed in and zoomed out
scale each time you press it. You can also do this at set pieces by holding
down fire and pushing left or right with your joystick.


(8) Scanner
The scanner is a handy overview of the entire pitch, showing the position of
all the players and the ball. It is overlaid on the screen during a match. The
players on opposing teams are colour coded by their main kit colour to
distinguish ones teams players from the other. The ball is also displayed in
another colour for improved clarity.

Auto - The scanner will change it's position on screen so that it does not
obstruct the players view of the ball. Fissato - La scansione rimane sempre
nell'angolo alto a sinistra dello schermo. Fixed - The scanner will remain in
the top left hand corner of the screen at all times. Off - The scanner is not
displayed at all.

You can also manually change the position and size of the scanner during a
match. You can also turn it off if you change your mind.

X - Toggle between the various scanner sizes.
C - Toggle between the various scanner positions.
V - Assign player numbers to the markers on the scanner.
D - Turn the scanner off.

(9) Crowd FX
Goal! features lots of sampled sound effects. The crowd will react to the
events on the pitch, adding to the atmosphere. You will hear the roar of the
crowd as you approach the penalty area, or the chants of one teams supporters
over another. These can be left on or turned off. The sound of the ball and
the referees whistle will remain on even when the crowd effects are off.


(10) Referee
Each referee has his own personality. This means that each one may react
differently to the situation in hand. For example, some will be more whistle
happy than others. A few may rarely brandish the yellow card whilst another
might send you off without hesitation! The golden rule to remember is - the
ref is never wrong!

Keep selecting the referee until you are happy with your choice, (if that
isn't a contradiction in terms!). You will only learn their temperaments by
experience. If you prefer, leave the choice to chance by choosing Random.

In the early days of the game, Referees were not needed. Differences of
opinion were settled in a sporting manner between the two Captains. Some
countries had Umpires in each half of the field who were called in when a
player appealed against a decision. The Referee developed when the Umpires
were unable to agree on a decision. The Umpires eventually became the Linesmen
we know and love in the modern game.

Save Setup
Once you have altered the options, you can save the setup information to disk.
This requires a 'Data' disk to have been created via the 'Clear Disk' option.

Load setup
This allows you to load in a previously saved setup file from a 'Data' disk.

Clear disk
There are two kinds of blank disk required for Goal!, depending on whether you
are saving replays or other game data. This option allows you to format to
either standard. You can also erase a previously formatted disk from here.

Data disk - This is used for all data except action replays.

Replays disk - This is used exclusively for saved action replays.

Exit
Once you've done all you want to on the Options screen, selecting Exit will
take you back to the Main Menu with your newly configured options intact.

SINGLE MATCH
This option gives you the chance to choose which team you want to play, and
whether you play a one or two player game. Note that the game you play is a
one off match and is not part of any league or cup competitions. All of the
details on this screen can be changed by you. Simply select the one you wish
to change by using the pointer.

(a) Teams
You can choose from any of the available teams. Select one of the team names.
It will change colour. If you change your mind, select another team instead.
When you're happy with your choice, select Done to finish and return to the
Single Match screen. If you would rather go back to the default teams, choose
the Cancel option and it will forget any changes you have made and return you
to the Single Match screen.

(b) Control Devices
Selecting this option will automatically toggle between computer (C) or
joystick (J) control. The default players name will also change to reflect
this.

(c) Names
You can change the default names if you wish. These names will appear when a
goal is scored during a match as you will see later on. Select the name to
change and a cursor will appear. Simply delete the default name and type in
your own, which must be no more than 19 characters in length. To delete
character by character press the Backspace key. To delete the entire text in
one go, press Delete.

(d) Speed
There are five levels available, ranging from Novice up to Ace. The levels
affect the speed that the players run around (although these are affected by
the player attributes too). Beginners playing a one player game should set the
computer level to be lower than their own.

Once you are happy with your choices, select Play. If you have changed your
mind, selecting Quit will take you back to the Main Menu instead.

This next screen will always appear no matter which type of match you're about
to play. The type of game appears at the top. The left and right sides show
the two team kits. Beneath each one is the respective player names. The
current score is shown (0-0 before the match begins). Next to each score is a
square box labelled 'Pick/view teams'. This will allow you to see your current
player line up and change the team selection if you want from the available
squad.

Your current team list is shown on the left. On the right you can see your
current tactical formation. Beneath this are a couple of options.


Pick Players
Selecting this option allows you to play as Manager and choose the players for
your first team squad, which will consist of 11 players (including 1 Goal
Keeper) and two substitutes.

The entire first team squad is displayed here, consisting of up to 28 players.

A default squad has already been selected. To choose different players, you
must swap the currently chosen player with the player you want to replace him
with.

Select the players number and the box should turn black. Now choose the number
box of the player you wish to play in that position instead. The old players
number will now appear in the new players box. If both players were already in
the squad then they will simply switch positions.


Football players were originally identified in the matchday programmes by the
colour of the caps that they wore during a match. Player numbers didn't appear
until 1928. However, caps still play a part in modern day football. They are
awarded to players when they represent their country in international matches.
Select OK when you have finished.

Undo and Quit
Undo will undo any changes you have made. Quit will take you back to the team
select screen with the current changes left intact.

Select Formation
You can choose your preferred team formation from those provided. Select the
arrows to go through them. You can also change the players within the
formation. For example, you might want player 2 to play in player 10's
position and vice versa. Simply select the player name then select the name of
the player who is in the position. This change will affect all of the other
available formations. This is most useful when a player has been sent off. You
can press your substitution key, get to this screen and place a midfield
player up front if your main striker has been sent off.

Once you've finished picking or viewing your team, you can select the referee
from the available list. There are two ways to change the pitch. Selecting the
group of arrows will alter the orientation of the pitch (horizontal or
vertical). You can also change the pitch type by cycling through the five
available settings (Normal, Wet, Muddy, Wembley or Random). Lastly, selecting
the Wind option will toggle between a random wind setting and no wind (none).

The Toss
Which team kicks off is randomly decided by the computer. Whoever wins the
toss of the coin will have the choice of which direction they play in the
first half. If a player wins, they can choose the direction they wish to play
by selecting the box at the bottom of the screen. If you are playing a
computer team and it wins the toss, you will be informed of its decision.

Lastly, at the bottom of the screen is the Continue option, which should be
selected once you've finished.

To play, each player must press and hold down fire for a second or two. The
bar beneath the Joystick number at the bottom of the screen will fill up from
left to right. If it doesn't, or the bar only partially fills up, you will get
the message "Possible auto fire detected on joystick".

Check that your joystick's auto-fire switch is off then select OK and try
again. In a two player game, both players must do this. If all goes well you
will find yourself running out onto the pitch, ready for kick off.

To learn how to control the players during a match, please refer to the
'Player control' section.

Quitting a match
To Quit during a match, press Escape at any time to bring up a new screen.
This screen also appears at half time and full time.

Continue -
Play the second half or confirm the end of the game (depending on which half
has just finished). If you've interrupted a game during one half then use this
option to go straight back into the match.

Match Report -
This will give the statistics from the first half or the overall statistics if
the match has just finished. You can see from here how many shots on goal you
had, how many saves were made, the number of corners, throw ins, penalties
etc. The amount of possession will show which team had the ball most.

Quit -
Abort the game. You will be asked to verify this. Note that if you are playing
against a computer team in a league or cup competition you will automatically
be awarded a 5-0 defeat regardless of the current match score. This option
won't appear at the end of a game.


OTHER FEATURES

Apart from actually playing a game of football, you can adjust a number of
other features during a match.

The scanner
The scanner is a handy overview of the entire pitch, showing the position of
all the players and the ball. It is overlaid on the screen during a match. The
players on opposing teams are colour coded by their main kit colour to
distinguish ones teams players from the other.

The ball is also displayed in another colour for improved clarity. You can
manually change the position and size of the scanner and you can also turn it
off.

X - Toggle between the various scanner sizes.
C - Toggle between the various scanner positions.
V - Assign player numbers to the markers on the scanner.
D - Turns the scanner off. Pressing D again will turn it back on.

Action replays
Press R to replay any moment during a game. There are a number of ways of
viewing an action replay. This facility is not unlike a video recorder. You
can play, stop, visual rewind, or visual fast forward through an action
replay. You can also play the action replay at half speed if you want.

Initiate action replay (start)                                     R
Stop                                                               Fire button/Escape
Visual Fast Forward                                                F5
Visual Rewind                                                      F2
Fast Visual Rewind                                                 Fl


Normal play (after Fast forward/rewind)                            F4
Slow Motion(after normal play F4)                                  F4 again
Freeze action replay                                               F3
Change pitch scale during action replay                            Spacebar

Saving replays
You can also save the replays to disk. To do this you need to have created a
Replays disk from the Clear disk option found in the Options menu before the
match kicked off.

To save a replay to disk, insert your Replays disk into your drive after the
players have appeared on the pitch. When you have initiated a replay (by
pressing R), immediately press Enter. Goal! will look at your Replays disk and
save the replay if it can. 11 replays can be stored on one disk and Goal! will
automatically assign the next available number to each replay saved.

In the corner of the window at the bottom of the screen (where the score and
other info is shown) you will see a message appear. What this message says
depends on the circumstances.

1 OK Replay 1 has been successfully saved to the Replay disk. (Example)

FULL The Replay disk already has 11 replays on it. If you decide to press R
and Enter again, it will save to this disk by deleting the oldest action
replay found and saving the new one in its place.

BAD DISK Somehow this disk has become corrupted and is unusable.

You can put a new Replay disk in the drive at any time, so you don't have to
overwrite old action replays because the disk is already full. Goal! always
starts again from 1 on a new blank Replay disk.

Auto save replays
If you have set up Replays from the Options menu to be saved automatically
then you don't have to press Enter as this will be done automatically. If a
disk becomes FULL it will overwrite the oldest action replay by default.

Pause
Pressing P during a match will pause the game. Press P again to unpause and
return to the action.

Different views
The Spacebar can be used to manually toggle between the normal zoomed in and
the wider zoomed out view of the pitch during a match or an action replay. You
can also do this by pressing and holding down fire and pushing left or right
when taking throw ins or corners.

Substitutions
During a game, players can be automatically substituted due to injury. You can
also force a substitution at any point by pressing your substitution keys,
during a match or at half time or full time (if extra time is to be played
afterwards).

Player 1 (home team) Left Amiga key (Amiga), Left Shift key (ST)
Player 2 (away team) Right Amiga key (Amiga), Right Shift key (ST)

You will notice a small arrow appear in the window at the bottom of the screen
under your score. As soon as the ball next goes out of play (for a throw in,
goal kick or corner) you will be presented with the substitution screen, where
you can choose who you want to take off. Your first team squad is listed on
the left. On the right are the current team tactics.

If a substitution has been forced due to a player injury, the bar on the right
will show the number of the player coming off and the number of the substitute
nominated to come on. If you want to change to the other substitute, simply
select the name of the injured player from the list on the left and then
select the name of the other substitute instead.

If you are forcing the substitution yourself, select the name of the player
you want to take off and then select the name of the substitute you want to
bring on. Their shirt numbers will appear in the bar on the right. If you
change your mind, select the bar to clear it.

If you want to change the team tactics, go through those available by
selecting the arrows. You can also change the players within the formation.
For example, you might want player 2 to play in player 10's position and vice
versa. Simply select the player name then select the name of the player who is
in the position. This change will affect all of the other available
formations. This is most useful when a player has been sent off. You can press
your substitution key, get to this screen and place a midfield player up front
if your main striker has been sent off. When you are completely finished,
select QUIT.

PRACTICE
Most eager beginners will probably play a single match first to get their
first taste of football action. However, if you feel that you might need to
practice your footballing skills this is the option for you! From here you can
choose to either play a practice match or practice taking and saving penalties
in a penalty shoot out.

Free Practice
Free practice is a match that allows you to run out onto the pitch and knock
the ball around, getting used to the control system. Whilst you have your full
squad to play with, the opposition is limited to just the Goal Keeper. All
throw ins and corners will be taken by you to allow you to practice them.

Having chosen Free Practice, you will be taken to a screen you might have
already seen as you prepared to play a single match. This very same screen
will appear immediately before every type of match (Practice, Cup, League
etc).

The two team names and their respective kits are shown on the left and right
hand sides of the screen. The home team is on the left (this will be you
during practice or in a one player game). As the match hasn't kicked off yet,
the current score is 0-0. Next to each score is a square box labelled
'Pick/View teams'. Selecting the box will allow you to see your current team.
This is discussed in more detail in the 'Single Match'. As we are only
interested in practising, we don't need to worry about this option for now.

Beneath this you would normally see the name of the referee. However, a
practice game doesn't need one so this will remain blank. To the left of the
pitch types you will see a small group of two arrows. These indicate whether
the match is to be played on a horizontal or a vertical pitch. The Pitch type
option can be selected to cycle through those available. The differences
between the various pitches are described in the 'Options' section, but it is
best to stick with a Normal pitch for now.

Select Continue to go to the next screen. This will summarise the set up you
have chosen (for example, no referee, a normal pitch and no wind).

You might have noticed in the middle of the screen an instruction telling you
to 'Press fire to start'. You should also have spotted a bar beneath the
option Joystick 1 at the bottom of the screen. When you press fire to start
the match, hold the fire button down for a second or two. You will see the bar
gradually fill up from left to right. If it doesn't, or the bar only partially
fills, you will see the message 'Possible auto-fire detected on joystick'. If
this appears, check that your joystick auto-fire switch is turned off. When it
is, select OK then try pressing fire again for a few seconds.

KICKING OFF
Both teams will run out onto the pitch and line up in player order at the
start of the match. During practice, the opposing team will only have one
player (the Goal Keeper).

Moments later both teams will automatically run to their correct positions. In
a normal match, one team will kick off the first half and the other will kick
off the second. However, in Practice you only play the first half and you
always win the toss to kick off anyway.

To learn how to control the players, please refer to the 'Player control'
section for further details.

There is a special feature implemented in a practice match which allows you to
practice certain moves over and over again easily. When the ball is in play,
press the DEL key. This will temporarily store the position of all the players
on the pitch. At any other time during a match when the ball is in play,
pressing the HELP key will restore the players to their saved positions.

For example, you can practice crossing the ball from the wings by positioning
a player down the right wing then pressing DEL once. Try crossing the ball. If
you want to try again, press HELP whilst the ball is still on the pitch and
you can try again from the same position. If you press DEL again at any point
the new player positions will replace the previously saved ones.

Penalty Practice
In this situation, both teams have to alternately take 5 penalties to decide
who wins. If the scores are tied then you continue taking alternate penalties
until one team misses and the other team scores. You can change the number of
penalties taken by selecting the 'Best of' value and cycling through the
available numbers.

One Player Penalty Practice will match your team against computer controlled
opposition. Selecting Two Player will obviously play you against another human
player.

For further details on how to take penalties, please refer to the 'Player
control' section.

If you decide you've had enough of Practising, pressing Escape will take you
straight out and back to the Main Menu.

LEAGUE
Goal! also allows you to define your own league competition. You will find the
options very similar to those used in defining cup competitions.

(1) New Competition

League Name
Select the current league name and a cursor will appear. Delete the name and
type in your own. A maximum of 23 characters are allowed. To change the values
for the remaining options you must select the arrow buttons either side of the
value you wish to change.

Number of Teams
This will define how many teams will play in the league. The minimum allowed
is 2. The maximum is 32.

Number of Plays
This defines how many times the teams play each other in a season. The minimum
allowed is 1. The maximum is 10.

Points for a win
You can either award 2 or 3 points for a win. Draws are always awarded 1
point.

Number of matches per team
This value is automatically calculated from the number of teams in the league
and the number of times they play each other. For example, if there are 24
teams in the league then your team must play the remaining 23. If you play
each other twice a season then the total number of games to be played will be
46 in one season.

Computer level
This sets the computer level, ranging from the lowest (novice) to the highest
(Ace). All computer teams will play at this level.

Human level
This does the same. The levels start at Novice and go up to Ace. All human
teams will play at this level.

Play
If you are happy with your choices then select Play instead.

Options
You can access the usual Options screen to define the pitch type, wind
conditions etc. before you start. This options screen only applies to league
matches. You can also format your data or replay disks from here.

Cancel
If you don't want to play in a league, choose Cancel to go back to the
previous screen.

Team Select
You will now have to select your teams as normal. Selecting a team once places
it under Computer control (C). Selecting it twice gives it Joystick control
(J). Selecting it a third time will cancel its selection. You are told at the
bottom of the screen how many teams you have left to choose. If you change
your mind at any time just select Cancel. When you have chosen the required
number of teams, select Done. You will now be shown your League table.

The table shows the position of each team, the team name, and then details on
the matches played so far:

P                   The number of matches played.
W                   The number of matches won.
D                   The number of matches drawn.
L                   The number of matches lost.
GF                  Goals for (the number of goals scored).
GA                  Goals against (the number of goals conceded).
PTS                 The total number of points awarded.

Where the points are the same, the team with a superior goal difference will
be placed higher. For example, team A and team B have five points each. Team A
is placed one position higher than team B because A has scored 6 and conceded
2 (a goal difference of 4), whilst B has scored 4 and conceded 1 (a goal
difference of 3).

Only the first 14 teams are shown. If your league is larger, select the down
arrow to the right of the table to see the teams further down. Select the up
arrow to return to the top.

The next fixture to be played and the result of the previous fixture is shown
beneath the league table. At the very bottom are four options:

Play
This will play the next scheduled fixture in the league.

Save
This option allows you to save the current league table to disk. You must have
already formatted the disk as a data disk.

Exit
This will take you back to the League menu.

Skip
Skip is a handy feature for getting to player fixtures quickly. Selecting skip
will rapidly play all of the scheduled computer vs computer matches until it
comes to the next player fixture.

You can also change when matches are played. By selecting the next fixture
which is highlighted at the bottom of the screen (as text) you can go through
all of the home teams fixtures. Stop when you reach the fixture you want to
play next. This is most useful if the away team (a player) isn't available for
a particular match. Obviously, any matches you decide not to play will have to
be played eventually.

You can also choose the home team by selecting the team name directly from the
fixture list. You can then go through the fixtures as described above.

This is where you can review previously saved action replays. You will be
prompted to insert a Replays disk. Up to 11 different action replays can be
saved on one disk. Those found on the disk will be displayed alongside any
comments (which are discussed in a moment).

Select one of the available replays from the list. A new screen is displayed
which looks very similar to the summary screens shown before each match. Here
you can see the name of the referee, the pitch and wind conditions. You can
also inspect the match report for the moment the replay was saved.

At the bottom of the screen are three options.

View Replay
To watch the replay you have loaded in. To re-save the replay with the new
comments press Enter during the replay.

Match Report
As normal this allows you to see the exact match statistics at the moment the
replay was saved.

Exit
Once you've finished, select Exit.

EDIT TEAMS
If you want to change the teams in any way, you must select this option first
before you decide what kind of match you are going to play. If you try editing
teams after you have started a new cup or league competition, both cup and
league data will be erased and you will have to start them again.

Firstly select a team from the list. You will be taken to a screen which will
allow you to change the teams details.

From here you can change the names of the teams, players, and managers. You
can also choose their default tactics and change the home and away playing kit
designs. About the only thing you can't do is choose the results!


Team name and Manager
Select the relevant box. Delete the current text and type in your own, which
cannot be longer than 19 characters.

First and Second Kits
Choose either box to be taken to the Kit Design screen.

Along the top of the screen are 6 different kit styles. Simply select the one
you want.

Beneath these are two separate colour palettes. The left side palette is used
exclusively for the main kit colour. The right side represents the second
colour.

The currently selected colours are indicated by a small round marker.

When you select a colour it is immediately shown in the kit designs above.

When you've finished, select Done to return to the team screen. Cancel will
also do the same, but it ignores any changes you have made to the kits.

Players
Select a player from the squad shown to edit his name.

By selecting the players name you can delete the current one and type in a new
one. The name must be no longer than 15 characters.

Whilst you're here you can examine the players attributes. There are eight in
total.

Pace
How fast the player can run and how quickly they accelerate and decelerate.


Stamina           How long they can last at their maximum pace.
Aggression        How likely a player is to try a tackle and injure an opponent.
Resilience        How likely a player is likely to survive(!) a tackle.
Keeping skill     How good the Goal Keepers reactions are.
Tackling skill    How good the player is at tackling and gaining the ball.
Passing skill     How good the player is at passing.
Shooting skill    How good the player is at Shooting.

Each attribute is represented by a colour coded bar. The colour at the right
end of the bar indicates the strength of the attribute. You cannot alter the
attributes.

Purple           Poor             Dark Green        Average
Light green      Good             White             Very good
Orange           Excellent

When you've finished looking, select Done.

Pick Players
This is your chance to play Manager and choose the default players for your
first team squad. 13 players must be selected. They must include 1 Goal Keeper
(no 1), 10 outfield players and 2 substitutes (no's 12 and 14). Note that you
can change these default players again before you play a league, cup or single
match. Choosing a player is simple. Select the Pick Players option. The Pick
players screen will now be shown. Select the number box (which may or may not
contain a number at the time) of the player you wish to add or move in the
team. It will turn black. Now select the number box of the position you want
to play him in. He will swap places with the player who currently plays there.
Do this as often as you wish until you have a team line up you are happy with.


ADVANCED FEATURES

Transfer players You can also move a player from one team to another. Instead
of selecting the player name, place the pointer over the name then press the
Space bar. The players name will appear at the bottom of the screen. Now
select OK then select QUIT to go back to the team selection screen. Choose a
new team and select pick players as before. Place the pointer over an empty
slot in the player list and press Space bar again to place the player in the
team. Note that you cannot delete players. You can only move them from one
club to another, and one at a time.

Editing teams You will have to select the team you wish to edit from either
the default Goal! teams or from Custom teams that have been saved to a data
disk. If you've never used this option before you should select the Goal!
teams. You will next be presented with a simple file selector. Using the
selector is simple. The available files (teams in this case) are shown on the
left. A slider button allows you to scroll up and down the list if it is too
large to fit in the allocated window. Either select the button (keep fire or
the mouse button pressed down) then move up or down to scroll up or down the
list. Alternatively, select it once and it will automatically go down to the
next window full of files for you each time you select it. The name of the
file you select will appear in the bar at the bottom. You can also select this
bar and type in the name of the file you want to load in if you prefer. Either
way, when you are finished, select OK if you are happy with your choice or
Cancel if you've changed your mind and want to do something else instead. What
you now do on this screen depends on what mode it's in (not tonight dear I've
got a headache!) Delete mode The mode is displayed in the bar near the top of
the screen. It can either be in DELETE mode or REPLACE mode. Say you want to
delete a team. Ensure that the bar is in delete mode first (select it to
toggle between delete and replace mode). Now select the small box to the right
of the name of the team you wish to delete. The team should disappear
completely. Replace mode Replace mode is very handy if you want to take a few
teams from France, Italy, Germany etc. and mix them together in one true
European league or cup competition. You must first load in the group
containing the teams you wish to extract (either from the Goal! teams or maybe
from custom teams of your own). These teams haven't replaced the ones that are
already in memory. They are now both in different screens and you will be able
to switch between the two of them to effectively cut and paste them together.
Choose your team from those you just loaded in by selecting the name. You will
then be shown the previous teams screen. You can replace a team with the one
you chose by selecting the small box next to the team name you wish to
replace. Your other team will now appear instead. Alternatively, you can add
the other team to the current list by selecting the first blank slot and
placing them there instead. To finish in replace mode you must select Done at
the bottom of the screen. To finish completely (when you have finished
deleting and replacing) you must select Done again.

ARCADE CHALLENGE
The Arcade challenge will test your playing skills against all five of the
computer skill levels. (Novice, Amateur, Semi-pro, Pro and Ace). Each round
will progressively get harder. A draw will be enough to get you through but
can you beat the cream of the computer teams? Each match is played on a Normal
pitch with no wind and lasts 2 minutes each half.

G        FGoals for (the number of goals you have scored)
GA       Goals against (the number of goals you have conceded)
DIFF     The Goal difference (the difference between goals scored and conceded)
LEVEL    Level 1 = Novice, Level 5 = Ace
POINT    Calculated by multiplying the DIFF by the LEVEL

All of the Main Menu options have now been described. All that's left now is
to instruct you in the skilful art of...

PLAYER CONTROL
No matter what type of game you have elected to play, you will eventually run
out onto the pitch, ready to kick off the match. When the players are in the
centre circle, press P to pause the game for a moment. Before we start we
should look at the screen. Apart from the players and the pitch you will see a
couple of other things that need explaining. At the bottom of the screen you
will see a window displaying lots of useful information.

The name and number of the player currently in possession of the ball is
shown. (The name is displayed in his teams main kit colour). The length of
time left in the half is shown between the current score. The coloured arrows
next to the score indicate which direction the teams are playing in that half.
Relevant messages are also displayed from time to time underneath as you will
see as the game progresses.

In the top left hand corner of the main screen you will also see the scanner.
This is an overview of the pitch showing the position of all the players and
the ball. Each team is represented on the scanner by coloured markers. The
colour is determined by the teams main kit colour. The ball is also shown in a
different colour. The scanner can be adjusted by pressing the following keys
during play (note that you can't do this whilst the game is paused):

X- Toggle between the various scanner sizes.
C - Toggle between the various scanner positions.
V - Assign player numbers to the markers on the scanner.
D - Turns the scanner off and on.

Now that we've looked at these features, press P to unpause the game and we
are now ready to learn how to control the players and the ball.

PLAYER CONTROL
Throughout the match you will control the player nearest to the ball. All the
other players on your team will behave according to their individual
attributes and will move into suitable positions according to the tactics
employed. The player you currently control is highlighted by a line. Note that
the following instructions refer to tapping and pressing the fire button on
your joystick. A tap is only a quick stab and a press is where you hold the
button down for a second or more, depending on the circumstances. Don't worry
if the following instructions sound a bit complicated. Many of them are
intuitive and will feel quite natural after a while.

PLAYER MOVEMENT OFF THE BALL
There are a number of things your currently controlled player can do when he
doesn't have possession of the ball.

Running
To make a player run, push your joystick in the required direction. The longer
the player runs in one direction the faster he will go. The fastest he can go
is determined by the players Pace attribute and how long he can sustain it is
affected by his Stamina attribute. You will learn more about all the available
player attributes later.

When a player is running at full speed, it is harder to suddenly change
direction. This is due to the players turning circle. The faster he runs the
larger his turning circle will be when he tries to change direction. This is a
revolutionary new feature especially implemented in Goal!

TACKLING
Whilst the only way to practice tackling is to play a proper match against
another team, it is important to understand the principles. There are a number
of different ways of tackling and they each have their own merits.

The Slide Tackle
This tackle is powerful, but it can result in fouling and injuring players. To
perform a slide you must tap the fire button whilst the ball is low. As a
result your player will slide in the direction he is facing. To make a safe
tackle your player must make contact with the ball before he makes contact
with the opponent. If he makes contact with the opponent before the ball, then
that will almost certainly be seen as a foul by the Referee. For example,
tackling from behind the opponent will nearly always result in a foul.

Block Tackle
It is possible to block a player from reaching the ball by getting in his way.
This will slow him down. To gain the advantage ensure that you get ball side
of the player when you make the block, so that you can reach the ball first.

THE HEADER

If the ball is in the air, quickly tap the fire button and when your player
jumps, push your joystick in the direction you wish to head the ball. You can
make the player head the ball downwards by holding the fire button down while
the player is in the air until he heads it. Note that your players speed and
direction will affect the direction and force of the header. Heading is a
difficult skill to master but it can be very effective.


THE CHEST DOWN
If the ball is coming towards you at chest height, facing the ball and doing
nothing will automatically make your player chest the ball down, ready to be
controlled. If your player is facing away from the ball then it will bounce
off him instead.

THE SCISSOR KICK
Also known as the overhead kick, this is a strong kick given to the ball
whilst at head height. To execute it, you must reverse your joystick while the
ball is in the air. To make contact with the ball the kick must be timed
precisely. The player will always fall to the ground after performing this
acrobatic kick.

BALL CONTROL
The following moves are all possible when your player has the ball.

THE DRIBBLE
This is what happens when a player is running with the ball at his feet. He
runs forward and kicks the ball ahead of him in the desired direction. The
distance the ball is kicked depends on the speed that the player is running.

THE TRAP
If you want to pass accurately the first thing you need to do is to stop the
ball at your feet to give you complete control. This is known in the game as
trapping the ball. To do this, you must press and hold the fire button
immediately before your player touches the ball. You should come to a halt
with the ball at your feet.

THE TRAP TURN
Turning with the ball when travelling at speed requires good technique to
avoid losing the ball. The Trap Turn method involves slowing down with the
ball using the Trap and then moving off in a new direction as follows:

(i)   Hold the fire button down and touch the ball.
(ii)  Centre the joystick (to stop).
(iii) Release the fire button.
(iv)  Push the joystick in the new direction.

You can try turning at faster speeds, but this is more a case of choosing the
right moment to change the direction of your run so that you don't deflect the
ball away. This especially applies when you try cutting in at 45 degrees to
make a diagonal run into the opponents Penalty area.

THE STOP
Centre the joystick white in contact with the ball. You will slow down and
stop with the ball. This is most useful when you intend to continue dribbling
but in a different direction. However, this technique requires careful timing
but when it works it ensures that you are moving slow enough not to lose the
ball. 180 degree turns with the ball are possible using this technique.

PASSING
The Controlled Pass
If you've just trapped the ball, keep the fire button held down and then try
moving your joystick. You will see your player turn with the ball still at his
feet. When you let go of the fire button the ball will be passed to the feet
of the player who is nearest to yours in the direction you are currently
pushing the joystick. Of course, an opposition player may try and tackle you
to block or intercept the pass so it's not guaranteed to reach your team mate.

The Chip Pass
You can chip the ball by reversing your joystick when in contact with the
ball. This will kick the ball high but with less force than a normal shot. The
position of your joystick after the chip will give the ball swerve and allow
you to adjust the height (see After Touch for more details). This technique
allows you to pass the ball over an intervening player to a fellow team mate
or make a cross into the opponents Penalty area.

Usually when making a chip you need to keep the ball low. This can be done by
pushing your joystick forward again immediately after performing the chip
(thus dipping the ball downwards). After Touch explains in more detail how to
swerve the ball during a match.

The Through ball
This is a different sort of pass. Whilst dribbling with the ball you can stop
running. The ball will run ahead of you and if you've judged it correctly it
will run through to another of your players instead. This can be very
effective as some human players tend to follow the movement of the player
rather than the movement of the ball and this can fool them.

The Long Ball
This technique is simply kicking the ball towards a team mate by shooting the
ball and using swerve. To shoot the ball, tap the fire button on your joystick
when in contact with the ball. The player you are aiming the long ball at must
intercept it as it comes down so that he can control it quickly.

SHOOTING
Seeing that the aim of the game is to score as many goals as you can, you
should really learn how and when to score one! Fortunately, there is more than
one way to do this.

This is simply a straight shot in any of the eight joystick directions. Just
give the fire button a quick tap. You may then adjust the direction and height
of the ball using After Touch (which is described in a moment, honest!).

You can also try scoring by using a number of other techniques, like Scissor
Kicks, Headers etc.

AFTER TOUCH
This is a very useful technique which allows you to affect the travel of the
ball after it has been kicked. This serves two purposes:

(i)  It allows finer control of the direction and height of a kick.
(ii) It allows you to bend the ball, dip it and lift it.

The direction of your joystick immediately after a, kick determines the
direction of the swerve. How soon after the kick you adjust the direction and
how long you hold onto it in that direction before letting go determines the
amount of swerve.

To get a really good curl on the ball, you must push your joystick the moment
the ball is kicked and hold it there until the swerve dies away.

Left/Right - Swerve ball left/right.
Centre - Do nothing.

To dip the ball, always push your joystick in the direction of the kick.

To lift the ball, always pull your joystick away from the direction you wish
to kick it.

SET PIECES
Set pieces come into play whenever there is a dead ball situation, (i.e. when
play has stopped). This includes throw ins, free kicks, Goal kicks and
corners. When you take these set pieces, think about where you are going to
play the ball or who you are going to pass it to.

If you haven't changed the options (as found in the Options menu selected from
the Main Menu) you will notice that every time the ball goes out of play
(resulting in a set piece) you are presented with a wider zoomed out scale
giving you a much bigger view of the pitch, but reducing the size of the
players as a result. Once the set piece is taken, the scale will change back
to the normal zoomed in view. This automatic rescaling can be changed by you
in the Options menu, which is discussed later.

Throw ins
To throw the ball back into play you must select the direction, length and
height of the throw. This is indicated by a dotted line which is drawn from
the players position outwards.


(i) The direction
If you push your joystick left and right then the line will rotate around the
player. Stop moving when it is pointing in the required direction.

(ii) The length
If you now push your joystick up you will see the length of the line increase.
If you were to push your joystick down then the line will shorten. This shows
how far the ball will travel when you throw it (i.e. the strength of the
throw).

(iii) The height
The height of the throw can be adjusted by pressing and holding down the fire
button, then moving the joystick up or down.

When you are happy with the direction, length and height of the line, tap the
fire button to throw the ball.

The original football laws of 1863 awarded a throw in to the first player to
touch the ball after it had crossed the touch line. The ball had to be thrown
in at right angles to the touch line and it couldn't be played by anyone until
it had touched the ground first.

TAKING FREE KICKS

When a free kick is awarded a number of things can happen, depending on where
the offence took place:

If you are near enough to the opposing teams Goal, you will see a number of
their players lining up a wall between the ball and the goal. A few moments
later you will see a dotted line similar to the one used for throw ins appear.
Once again you must use your joystick to set the direction, length (i.e.
strength) and height of the free kick. When you are happy, tap the fire button
to kick the ball. Remember that you can use after touch to bend the ball when
taking free kicks.

If the free kick is not close enough to the opposing teams Goal, then a normal
free kick is required. Simply kick or pass the ball as you would do normally.

DEFENDING FREE KICKS
If you are the defending team, the defensive wall will be set up automatically
for you. However, you do have a few seconds to adjust the number of players in
the wall. By default, four players are lined up, but you can increase or
decrease the number of players with your joystick:

To increase players in the wall
Quickly pushing full right on your joystick will add one player onto the end
of the wall each time. The maximum number of players allowed in a defensive
wall is 7.

To take players out of the wall
Quickly pushing full left will remove one player each time. The minimum number
of players allowed in a defensive wall is 0!

To move the wall
Quickly pushing your joystick towards or away from the ball to move the wall.
There is a 10 yard limit to how close the wall can be to the ball. You will
know when you have reached it as the wall won't move any closer.

CORNERS
Again you will be presented with a dotted line to set up the direction, length
(power) and height of the corner kick. Once again remember that after touch
can be added to a corner kick for that dead fluky scoring direct from the
corner routine!

GOAL KICKS
There are two kinds of Goal Kick. The first is a drop kick which will occur
when the 'Keeper has caught the ball in his hands. He will then step forward,
drop the ball and kick it before it touches the ground. After touch can be
added to swerve the kick. The second type is when the opposition kick the ball
out of play over the Goal line. The 'Keeper then places the ball on the edge
of his Goal area and will kick the ball forward from there.

By pushing your joystick and tapping the fire button you can affect where the
ball is kicked under these circumstances.

PENALTIES
If a player is fouled inside his opponents Goal Area then a penalty will be
awarded to the attacking team. Some cup matches have to be resolved by playing
a penalty shoot out.

Taking a penalty
To take a penalty you must first press the fire button to start the run up to
the ball. The longer you press the fire button the higher the kick will be.
Just before your player makes contact with the ball, push your joystick in the
direction you wish to kick the ball. After touch can also be applied if you
are quick enough.

If you miss a penalty in a penalty shoot out then you do not get the chance to
score from a rebound. However, in a normal match, if the opposition 'Keeper
saves your kick but the ball stays on the pitch, you can continue the match as
normal. Often you find that for a moment you have the advantage and if the
ball is close enough you should try scoring immediately, before the 'Keeper
has had a chance to recover from his save.

Defending a penalty
If you are controlling the team who conceded the penalty, then you will have
direct control over which way your 'Keeper dives when he faces the penalty
kick. Push your joystick in the direction you wish to dive. At the point that
the Penalty taker kicks the ball, your 'Keeper will automatically dive in the
direction you are pushing. You don't have to press your fire button to make
the save.

The penalty kick was introduced in 1891 after professional players began
deliberately handling the ball to stop certain goals. Many amateurs thought a
penalty a disgrace and instructed the Goal Keeper to stand by the corner flag,
leaving the goal unattended!

Bookings
A player can be booked when a foul is committed. If it is his first offence it
will usually be a yellow card. However, if it is his second offence then the
player will be sent off (a red card). Some referees will send a player off for
a first offence if they believe the foul was bad enough. BAD LOSERS GUIDE TO
GOAL!

Someone once said that football's a funny game. Well, it isn't for some
people. In fact, some sad people have to invent excuses to explain why they
lost.

METHODS
The 'Get in the excuse before kick off' method
This is by far the most popular method. For this to work, the player must
mention his excuse before the match begins, and he must ensure that it isn't
over emphasised. Subtlety is the key here.

The 'Post match analysis' method The loser tends to blame his defeat on one or
two key events during the match. The questioning of the referees ability
(amongst other things!) and the statue type qualities of the Goal Keeper are
two perennial favourites.


THE BAD LOSERS TOP SIX EXCUSES
And so to the excuses, in reverse order. See how many you can spot during a
game!

6. I can't see the game properly
This is usually due to the angle of the TV or monitor not being in the optimum
position for both players to see the game properly. Glare on screen also falls
into this category.

5. My arm hurts
This is usually down to playing too many games of Goal! in succession (and
losing). Many players will claim a pre-match handicap by playing with their
less favoured arm instead.

4. I don't like this pitch
A very poor excuse which is easily removed by the 'random' option for pitch
types, or by playing home and away legs where the players can play on their
preferred pitches. This can also apply to the pitch orientation and scale.

3. But your Goal Keeper's better than mine
Another poor excuse used when a Goalie lets a soft goal creep in, whilst the
opposition 'Keeper continues to make blinding saves look easy. No two 'Keepers
are the same, unless both players play as the same teams in a single match.

2. I thought I was kicking the other way
A classic excuse, usually invoked when the player has scored a tremendous own
goal or let the opposition tear into his defence. This can be avoided by
looking at the arrows next to the scores in the window at the bottom of the
screen during a match.

1. Of course, this isn't my favourite joystick
Where would we be without this one! It will probably be at number one for ever
and show me anyone who says they've never used this one, and I'll show you a
liar. Everything from the fire button to the suction pads can be blamed for a
loss. A classic excuse, but once in a while it might just be true!
