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INTERNATIONAL CRICKET CAPTAIN
Developed by: Empire Games (1998)
Genre: English County
Cricket Team management sim
System Requirements:
Windows 95, P90, 16 MB RAM, CD ROM,
SVGA video card, Mouse, 80 MB HDD Space
OVERVIEW: Cricket? Yep, that slow-moving English sport that is popular just about everywhere on the globe, except for the U.S. and Canada, has made it to your PC. International Cricket Captain is one of the most popular PC games in England and is just the kind of "quirky" (from an American standpoint) game that looks interesting to me. I found it to be more than worth a casual glance.
Without delving into the nuances of the sport- cricket is something like baseball where two teams of 11 guys hit, pitch and score LOTS of runs (like in the 200-300s) by running back and forth between two lines about 15 feet apart. The field is a big oval which allows for play in any direction (good batters can actually deflect a pitched ball backwards). Well, that's enough for the quick explanation of the sport (for a better definition, try http://www-aus.cricket.org). As a BIG baseball fan I was interested in seeing what the British equivalent (excluding rounders) was all about. Hence, Empire's International Cricket Captain!
The game is very similar to GT Interactive/Infinite Monkey System's Baseball Mogul where players manage (not play al la arcade style) a professional sports team (in this case, cricket). As the manager/owner, you draft promising rookies and sign star players to contracts- then manage the team in the field by setting strategy. The more successful your team, the better resources you have to sign good players just like in real life. International Cricket Captain offers all of that along with excellent graphics and stellar (yet VERY English) play-by-play by Jonathan Agnew- the BBC's "voice of cricket". Players can choose to participate in all First Class (Test and International matches) and One-Day events. The teams are made up of actual cricket players from the 1997 season (complete with photos and TONS of stats) which adds a great deal of realism- even if you don't know Peter Moores from Neil Fairbrother! The game includes all of the English "county teams" and the international squads as well.
The game is overall pretty gamer friendly- if you have a clue on cricket. The manual is pretty bare (written for a more knowledgeable English audience) and no real help file is present. I had to surf a few cricket info. sites on the Web for help! That aside, I really enjoyed the game- heck, I'm even interested in giving the game a go for reals! While I don't recommend International Cricket Captain to everyone players looking for a good, unique sports game should check this one out.
NOTE: For those interested there is a fabulous book on cricket by Robert Eastway titled "Cricket Explained: From Grubbers to Googlies- A Beginner's Guide to the Great English Pastime" (ISBN 0-312-09411-6) which explains this interesting sport in an informative and humorous fashion. Published by St. Martin's Press and priced at $10.95 it's a lifesaver for the cricket ignorant (like me, but I'm learning).
THE SCOUTING REPORT:
THE PROS:
THE CONS:
Review by Steve Ellis