Welcome to Ricky's Sensible World of Soccer Tactics and Advice Zone. I have used many tactics and every one has its advantages and disadvantages, depending on the opponents' qualities. I will detail the many tactics I've used and give my own opinions on each one.

Also general information on playing techniques which may improve your game, off the field affairs and others I have wrapped up for you. Sensible World of Soccer is not just a playing game, it's cross between a role playing and actual playing a game. You take the role as player/manager or just manager and make dissuasions on team selection, buying/selling players and tactics. There are two options for you as the player, you can let the computer play the games and you pick the team, buy/sell the players or you can play and manage team affairs. This is known as player manager which in my book is the best way this game is played!

Now let's take a look at the background of this excellent computer game. The very first version was indeed released for the Amiga computer early 1992. The first version as clearly as I remember the main teams were national teams although you could also choose club teams and an edit version which contained funny made-up items teams. There were no different skilled players, all players were of same level. There were no crowds or player celebrations nor was there statistics. I think if you compare the first version to the latest that of SWOS 96/97 it's improved a hell of a lot. It's pace of players has gone up a few notches and the level of last ability and playability has increased enormously.

The next verison that I played on was the 1.1 version which contained updated teams from the previous year. Also back then the computer could be sent off unlike these days were the computer has a license to commit X-rated tackles and get away with it! It was great to see the computer get sent off especially one or better two of their central defenders were sent off because there is a large hole in their defence which you could take advantage of. But I guess it's worth the sacrifice for the improvements of players level, leagues, transfer markets and I could go on....

Later on, a few years later sensible soccer seems to be available on many other computers like the Atari ST, PC and on consoles such as the SNES. The very next version I remember was SWOS 94/95 which contained the good features such as career mode and the exciting transfer markets and yeah, the money attribute! Later came the 96/97 version and I haven't looked back since!

The graphics aren't that great but it's playability is great which makes it an excellent soccer game without the fancy graphics. Also there is a fantastic crowd chanting noise to add that realism to the game, and a crowd! - excellent! What the hell happen to those cool drum sounds from the early sensi soccer games?! Has all the attributes of real soccer like injuries, suspensions, players transfer markets, heading, tackling, sliding, goal celebrations and pitch injuries like players rolling on the ground in pain. Probably everything except for offside, handball, and bicycle kicks. All will be described in this page of course.

Table of Contents

1: Tactics
2: Goal Scoring Techniques
3: Dead Ball Situations
4: Tackling, Passing & Movements
5: Suspensions & Injuries
6: Team Selection
7: Pitch Types
8: Financial Affairs
9: Buying & Selling
10: Developing Players
11: Transfer Markets
12: Building Your Dream Team
13: My Final 22 Universe Cup Squad
14: My Top 5 SWOS 96/97 Players
15: Cup Competitions
16: Training
17: Playing Against the Computer
18: Two-Players Mode
19: D.I.Y Tournaments
20: Place to Kick Start Your Career
21: The Sack!
22: View Result
23: Erasing Players
24: Gamesmanship/Stress
25: Sexy Football!
26: How to Become a Great SWOS Player
27: Spot the Bugs
28: SWOS: Amiga V PC
29: Moving On
30: Ricky's Final Comments

1: "Tactics"

Below are some of the tactics I've used in Careers and have described to you it's benefits :-

4-4-2: Well... I have always used 4-4-2 as my main tactic. I guess I am use to it because I know the position of my players better and it helps my passing game. It's a tactic that I can score heavily with too. With four defenders at the back and in midfield to give me reassurance from the back up to the front two strikers. I prefer two strikers up front rather than just 1 or 3 because 1 you don't get support and 3 will disturb passes for strikes on goal.

3-5-2: More players in midfield can dominate a match but let the ball slip into your penalty box then your three defenders must be alerted.

5-3-2: I find this tactic effective when facing tougher opponents. It makes the backs stronger because there is obviously more defenders. The player at the back line of this tactic must be alerted when an assault in you penalty box occurs. I have discovered that this tactic will lower the opponents shot on target. It gives you a tighter defence.

4-3-3: This tactic gives you large open area's in the middle of the park so you have to use the central player to command that area. This is good if you like to pass the ball around and nutmeg the opponent using your ball skills. You have to be good at long range passing. Gives you 3 strikers up front.

Sweeper: Like 4-4-2 but there is a defender deeper in the penalty box, very close to the keeper. Like having two goalkeepers (not really).

Defending: If you have no intentions of scoring then why not! Maybe when you feel the opponents are too good or that in the second leg of a match you only need a draw to progress into the next stage. Basically the back is packed with players. Defending players I hope.

Attacking: Going for broke are we? or just feeling trigger happy! Gives you more attacking positions close to the opponents box.

2: "Goal Scoring Techniques"

Are you a goalscoring superstar hero? If you are then you must have scored the goals mentioned below :-

1: Most of my goals are scored just outside of the penalty box. You need an attacker with shooting to be sure. I tend to curl them in which usually beats the Goalkeeper.

2: Chipping a goal in doesn't mostly pull off but look cool when they fly in. You can chip it in from about 35-40 yards, but I've chipped the keeper from about the half way line! If not then a few yards away, most probably so. Make sure the ball will hit the target though.

3: The angel shot mostly goes in too. Mainly the shot heading for the far post is the most common goals but the near post is more difficult.

4: Running in a horizontal line and then turning 90 degrees to shoot on goal is spectacular.

5: The most difficult way of scoring a goal is with the head, although corners are acceptance if you know what I mean? Heading the ball in requires a large bounce, I've usually scored from a long range pass usually just in my own half and let it bounce once before lunging at it to head home! If you can head it in without it bouncing off the ground first then that is a world-class goal or scoring from the side of the players head.

6: The tap inn's are cool too but the timing and the angle must be perfecto!

7: You can also round the goalkeeper or step over him to score, this takes technique and timing, you probably need a player with ball control to score this type of goal. Better to walk the ball in than hit it cos it's more cheeky!

8: The best goals and most spectacular one's to watch fly in are the first touch goals. These goals aren't easy as you try to score by hitting it when the player makes first contact with the ball when passed into his path.

9: If you like shooting from long range like I do, get a striker with the best shooting power and let fly a screamer in the top left/right hand corner usually outside the box about 35 yards!

10: A solo run and scoring is a tricky way to score. A striker, defender or midfielder can score these goals mostly midfielders/defenders. Players with control, speed and maybe shooting is essential. Beating four or five players on the way by weaving inside and out makes it the more spectacular!

11: Beating about three or four defenders by jinxing inside the opponent's penalty box without assist before banging it in the net is another spectacular.

12: Get either the left or right striker to cross high, fast and deep into the penalty box and the other striker can head it in. This has to happen in a blur (fast), works for me - sometimes.

13: Try passing it far low fast and if the striker cannot reach, slide for the ball to direct into the goal.

14: Another cool but unpredictable goal is the one where the ball hits against the goalkeeper which he takes the pace off the ball and he redirects(Squirms) it goal-bound - lovely!

15: The banana-shot goal is a terrific goal in which you require alot of curl on the ball. Get a player on either the left or right flank just outside or inside the penalty box and curl towards the goal. If successful it should curl round the keeper in a banana shape beyond his grasp! Like that goal Baggio scored against Bulgaria in the semi's in the 1994 World Cup Finals.

16: The most cruelest of goals is the own-goal, yes, we have all scored them one-time or another during our careers if we are totally honest. Usually happens when there is a scramble inside your box or your trying to clear the ball to direct it for a corner. Sitters, we've all missed sitters!

17: The goals scored on the volley is debatable as I do not know if it exists! I have scored goals where the ball seems to be in the air but because everything happens so quickly you can't judge on it. You could slow-MO reply and it does seems the ball is hanging in the air. These goals usually rocket in the net after the ball bounces off the ground (half volley)! or while a player whips in a high ball and the striker hit's it before it hit's the ground? (Marcelo Salas's goal against England! "England V Chile 1998")

18: Get deep inside the box and shoot and curl outwards to score another outstanding goal from a sharp angle!

19: The goal scored on the turn is a beautiful goal.

20: Snapshot goal is the type where your trying to catch the goalkeeper by surprise and it just sneaks in. It may surprise you too if it goes in.

21: Try scoring a rocket goal which just squeezes between the post and the desperate diving goalkeeper. Can be scored on either left or right post and apply a touch of curl to navigate the ball between the post and goalkeeper.

22: Score a goal from the kick off! Only requires two passes between your strikers and see if you can put a goal on the scoreboard on 1 minutes!

23: Sometimes when playing against the computer their goalkeeper when kicking it outfield he passes it straight to one of your strikers (what an idiot!). Try to score straight after he gives you the ball as a present.

24: Up close and personal! Waltz your way deep into the goal mouth and blast one within a feet of the goal mouth and watch the ball rebound back into play from the shear power of the shot!

25: Put a bit of height on the shot and see if you can score a goal without hitting the back of the net off the underside of the bar and should bounce over the line or off the roof of the net.

26: Any goal scored from the out side of the boot is a terrific effort and goal! You should know because the ball is on the edge of the players left or right boot while running or when received before shooting on goal.

27: Get a decent powerful shot on target and if opponents goalkeeper does make contact and tumbles it then nudge in the rebound by either sliding to make contact with the ball, nudging it off one of your players body or simply blast in first time. Great goal to watch go in but only on rare occasions and executing it to perfection is tricky.

In matches, you should score goals for fun (If the opponent allows it!). Scoring 20+ goals in a match is like scoring a 147 in snooker! Here are the check points:-

5 = Super Goal
10 = Golden Goal
15 = Mega Goal
20 = Ultra Goal
25 = Supersonic Goal
26 = Dreamland Goal!

* 3mins a half that is. The player who scores the supersonic goal is supposedly on a £1M bonus! It's great to score great goals but, really, its all about winning and it doesn't matter how they go in.

3: "Dead Ball Situations"

Free-kicks are my speciality, depending where the free-kick is given, you will apply either power, lift or curl, or a combination of the three or two. The ones given at the edge of the penalty box you would give more power. These normally fly in for me and I apply a bit of curl to beat the keeper. The further back ones you would apply more lift on the ball. Also curling while the ball is in the air helps. If successful the ball normally glide in leaving the keeper to flap his arms in disbelief. Applying all three combinations on a 35-40 yard free-kick is difficult but spectacular if it goes in! You can also nudge the ball to one of your teammates either to your left or right who might have a clear path toward goal to let them take the shot because you may feel you might hit the wall and that another player has a better chance of hitting the target. Also if you do pass it to one of your teammates make sure he has a shooting boots!

Penalty taking. Most certainly a player with shooting is best. You can choose any outfield player to take them. There are three ways to take them. 1: Cool - this means tapping the ball in left or right, this is a gamble because you are hoping the keeper will dive the other way. But if the keeper does make contact but tumbles it from his grasp then go for the rebound goal 2: Rocket - Give the keeper no chance by blasting it left or right!!! 3: Bend - Hit it straight but apply curl to just sneak the ball in - very difficult to achieve Corner kicks. Aim towards your nearest striker in the box and try to head it in usually does the trick. You can play it short and try to curl it in with the left or right winger depending on which corner is very difficult but possible. I have achieved this! Throw-ins. In order to make long throw-ins push the joystick back and then towards to make the ball travel further. Nice tip, kick the ball out for a throw-in some where near the opponents box. The computer usually attempts to throw the ball back to their keeper which forces him to come out and one of your players may latch onto the ball and round him to simply walk the ball in the empty goal. Penalty Shoot-out! -

Penalty shoot-outs happens in cup competitions if things are still stalemate. I rarely get involve in shoot-outs because I tend to win games more often. Penalty shoot-outs are an exciting prospect and if you win them it makes you feel good but if you lose, you feel gutted. You'd think, I should have won the game in the 90mins. I must say the computer has an upper hand in shoot-outs because it can get to you if your a nervy person. But try to keep your cool and blast everyone of them and see if you can out-blast the computer, I mean it has to miss sooner or later, usually later!

4: "Tackling, Passing & Movements"

Tackling an opponent is important to avoid opponents scoring. You must go for the ball and this will take timing. If you miss and catch the opponent then it could mean a booking or even get sent off. Tackling inside the penalty box is risky business. If your going to make a tackle it's usually 50-50 the tackle will pull off when the opponent looks favourite to score or else a penalty is called by the referee. If it's necessary then make the tackle before they score (Sometime you have nothing to lose).

In order to make an attempt at winning the ball off the opponent your positioning must be right. When the opponent has the ball get one of your players within a centimeter infront of the opponent player with the ball. When that player makes contact, it is usually intercepted (Player with great tackling here!) or blocked the pass by your player (roughly about an inch and a half).

Sliding tackles are a more effective way to win the ball but it can injure players and are prone to bookings so your timing has to be right. Sliding from behind or infront of the player is far more risky than sliding from an angle or from the left or right side. When attempting these tackles your calculation has to be right and you have to judge when your feet will make contact with the ball. It's great to slide tackle and the opponent falls flat on his face and you get up straight away and drift away from him while he's still down there.

In rare occasions you can even catch the opponent with an X-rated tackle and get away with it! The opponent player will fall to the ground in agony while play continues (did you see that ref?).

Passing the ball around in a nice flowing movement towards goal can confuse the opponent. I tend to play one-touch football - sometimes. The one-two's between attackers can also lead to goals. It is possible for a player to lose their defender, when running with the ball and someone is catching you, you spin the joystick 360 degrees and you will often lose the opponent trying to nick the ball off your feet and then pull away from him.

The wingers can provide the attackers with good passes which could lead to goals. Not only wingers can provide passes, any other type player also can. Don't be afraid to whip in curling tantalizing crosses from your own half with a defending/attacking midfielder or defender for one of your strikers to receive deep in the opponents half. Get a left or right winger player with great speed and control. The wingers are the players on the park who can go on long mazey runs and causes the opponent on red alert. In this version you can curl the ball on the ground!

Back heals are performed when you try to pass to one of your team mates but there is one close behind you. This happens when you least expect. The through ball is another excellent chance to nick a goal, if your sure you can guide the ball between opponents defenders or just pass one and successfully get one of your strikers to receive the ball then that would mean a clear run towards goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. Well, if your a "pro" then 9 out of 10 times you would easily but the ball in the back of the net. Rounding the keeper then shooting is a good option.

Also square any ball to a striker if he looks like he's got loads of space. A neat clever pass is the one you pass to yourself. Get one of your players to pass it pass one of the opponent player deadweight (tap it!), now round him and chase that pass. Clever pass but very tricky to execute! Player may need passing and alot of speed! These clever passes are only possible when that player has large open area and none of your other players are in that area as he will receive it, not on purpose but that's the way it is.

When running with the ball and the opponent is catching you from behind, hit the ball up and chase. Players seem to run faster without the ball. A disguise pass is the one where the player looks to pass it in the direction he is facing but suddenly turns and produces a slick pass which manages to pass beyond defenders and your striker receives it for a chance to score. The back pass to the goalkeeper rule applies in this version unlike the earliest sensible soccer version as it moves with the time. This means the goalkeeper cannot pick it up and you can only boot the ball away. You can head it back to the goalkeeper and he can pick that up. But the tackle from behind is perfectly legal!

Movements. Try to find wide open area's, some teams leave large amount of space, mostly the poorer teams. One of your strikers can latch onto a pass or long lob and exploit this. That extra yard of space means more time to pick your spot at an attempt at goal. If there are loose balls in wide open area's, chase for it. Be aggressive and fight off opponents for it at all costs! Some passes have too much weight and usually head out of play, don't chase it, your reaction should be positive.

Play your players wisely, if you feel you can run pass a player then do so. Pass it just before their player attempts to make a tackle to win the ball off you.

Use the wingers to make runs deep into the opponents half and make that killer pass to one of your strikers to do the rest! Getting into scoring positions may prove difficult for some people. If your having problems controlling players then this is usually the case (usually beginners). Strikers are best with speed(S) and control(C) because it gives them the license to score from every angle possible! Get a striker at the edge of the box left or right of the "D" and shoot with curl is a common area to strike on goal. Make sure that the place you strike has enough room to curl the ball on target and not curl off target.

Also try to make space when there isn't by nut-megging or weaving inside and out opponents players to make space for your player on the ball. A player with great ball control and maybe decent speed is the type to do this. Creating space means clearer paths passing to other teammates or more room to manoeuvre to create chances or a clear shooting path on goal. It's all about passing and movements and finding a way through.

Heading the ball can win you possession if playing against the computer as it hardly attempts to win the ball while it's in the air. If say the ball is dangling in the air and looks like the opponent is going to receive it to run clear on goal you can lunge and try to make contact to head it back to your goalkeeper or to one of your defenders. Also the opposite to try winning the ball to attack the opponents goal.

5: "Suspensions & Injuries"

The best thing about this game is that you get suspensions and injuries unlike the earlier sensible soccer games. This is reality as you may not like this when it happens. Suspensions are tagged on players who receive red cards during a match and is banned for the next game. This only happens in the European cup competitions. If a player receives a yellow card then that will stick with them during the competition so be careful not to receive another as two yellow cards mean one red card! However receiving two yellow cards with the same player during a match will get him sent off.

Yellow Card = Warning;

Red Card = 2 match;

Yellow Card x2 = 1 match, sent off!;

Yellow Card + Red Card = 3 matches;

Yellow Card x2 + Red Card = 4 matches;

Injuries are the worse to hold back a player because it could mean a couple of matches or worse. A injury to a player could mean 1 match to a whole season. During playing a match one of your players can get injured when the opponent challenges you for the ball. The player will indicate this to you by falling to the ground jerking his leg. And you can check how bad the injury is when you check on the bench. After the match also in edit mode, a red symbol will highlight next to that player in edit team mode usually with a number which indicates the number of matches he will miss. Even when that period ends he may still be match unfit as a bandage on a players head means you can still play that player but makes him less sharp and vulnerable to further injury. A question mark could mean anything from 1 match to half a season on the side lines. But a black cross indicates the player to be ruled out for the rest of the season. Where's a faith healer when you need one eh?

Bandage = Lack in form and vulnerable;

Red cross = 1,2,3 or 4 matches;

Red cross ? = 1 match to half a season;

Black Cross = out for rest of season;

During playing a match, you sometimes don't see one of your players fall to the ground but you should notice if a player is injured by judging his performance. If all of a sudden a player has slowed down, kick the ball out and go to the bench to double check (tap-tap joystick). If a player is injured a cross is highlighted, if serious it will flash. Substitute if possible. If it ain't flashing you can risk keeping that player on the field. That player remember is already injured so you risk aggravating the players injury which is bad news. It could mean out for a couple of matches or worse. Sometimes leaving an already injured player heals him after that match, weird but true but very rarely. The harder the game, the more likely injuries will occur - Trust me.

6: "Team Selection"

As the manager, you are the guy who picks the team. Depending on the status of your team, you will know which players will form your bestest team, these are known as key-players. Reserve players or bench warmers are there to cover these players. When approaching important matches, it's wise to field your strongest team. As this may not be possible due to suspension/injury to your key-player(s), you will give your reserve(s) a chance to prove themselves. When approaching important matches, it may be wise to save key-players for the important ones if the dept. in your squad ain't that super. After all, you don't want to lose him or them through suspension or to injury which will affect your chances in a more important game. If you feel you can beat a team, then field some reserve players. This may even develop your trial players into big fee superstars - not.

Tactics also will determine your choice of players. If playing a defensive tactic then you would field more defenders and attack tactics, likewise. The type of pitch may but it hasn't affected my game. A player should not really be picked because of their status. Example - if you pick a player who is doing a fine job and you buy a more high profile player for replacement because he has a higher statue. It's fighting for a place in the first team which happens in real life and it's only fair to all players, well not all if they are obviously crap. There is such thing's as bargain buy players in this game. But this is entirely up to you. Also if you get into a situation where a key player is injured and the reserve player performance is excellent then the key-player is demoted to reserve and the former reserve is promoted to a key-player. It's good to know a player is fighting for a ticket for a ride!

7: "Pitch Types"

There are many types of pitches in this game. The computer will choose by random when playing in the leagues. Pitches has some effect on your playing as different pitches affect the bounce and slide on the ball. Here are my description on each type of pitch :-

Icy

This is a dull coloured pitch (grey). It certainly is my worst pitch to play on! It helps the ball slide more further than the others. This could be helpful if your a long putter because you shoot from long range with curl and just hold the joystick there and watch it slide underneath the goalie!!! Although this is an advantage there is it's disadvantage which is when passing, the ball can easily slide pass your target for the other player. I notice players get injured after a match from the slightest tackle. Could mean that this is a dangerous pitch to play on. Shouldn't the ball be orange here? (!) Some people actually like this pitch because they feel it helps the ball slide goal bound, which is true. That's the plus points but the negative points I think outweigh the plus points. Warning! - Dangerous pitch, avoid if you want!

Muddy

The Muddy pitch affects the bounce of the ball making it a less of a bounce in some cases. Also it can weaken any low shots on the ground. Oh, don't expect your players to have mud stains on their shirts. It's a brown greeny pitch.

Normal

A light green pitch which like it say's, it's a normal playing pitch.

Soft

"Theatre of Dreams" I love this pitch! I cannot see any difference with the normal pitch but it has a lovely colour, like a bowling green, a truly perfect pitch. It's a pitch which makes you feel comfortable playing on and I've had many excellent performances on this pitch. If playing d.i.y tournaments or two-players, you can choose between pitches (Choose this one!!!).

8: "Financial Affairs"

As you may be aware, money plays a big importance in this game. Without income you cannot afford to run a team. Big names are on massive wages and the running cost could reach sky high. Although you may make a profit, you also will make a loss. Income come from gate receipts from home matches & sponsors, but if you have a superb squad then you aren't likely to make anything from most home matches. Remember, the bigger the star player, the more wages he will get! It is wise to save a few million in the bank after a season to keep your bank balance happy. The cup games are the games where you can make the most money. Gate receipts of a million pounds can be achieved when reaching the latter stages of any cup competition. Winning cups can improve your sponsor income at the start of next season so you have to win them to have early success If your the type of manager who can bring in players on a shoestring budget and save money up and still get good results then your a top manager!

You could save up and wait for the moment to splash out when your reach a certain amount. This allows you to bring in the world's most finest players in one session of going on a shopping spree and that is a great situation to be in!

Running costs - This is usually the most costly area but what the hell could it be?! Running cost could reach half a million quid for the sake of one unimportant game. Possibilities below :-

Coach hire for away matches?
Plane tickets for away European matches?
Match security?
Stadium admission?
Catering?
Clubs staff wages?
tax?

Don't worry if your in debt because in my experience you don't get the sack provided your team is performing reasonably well. If you are worried about the chairman dishes out a statement quoting "You have 4 games to get it sorted or else your fired!" (which I do not think exist) then you'd be force to sell players to gain cash.

9: "Buying & Selling"

There will come a time in your career where you will be buying and selling players. Buying is more fun tough. Depending on your bank balance, you either buy the best or someone who you think will do for now. It is important to buy players with a mixture of the best skills, depending on the style you play. It can be wise to buy cover. This means buying a player to cover for your key-player. Ask yourself what will happen if that key-player is suspended or injured. You will have to play a player which doesn't naturally play in that position which may affect their performance, although some can play there also.

Example :-

Make Offer

Dear Sir/Madam We here at Manchester United wish to buy

Chee-Kun-Gary Tang TSH(SGP) Defending Midfielder From Sing-a-poor United for 3 packets of peanuts and a Mars bar..?

Don't get ripped off, some players aren't what is made out of them. Say you buy a striker for £7million and he's shite! (not mentioning who) It may be difficult to get your money back as no-one may wanna swap or buy. I've dealt with that and it ain't very nice! The only thing you can do is place him on the transfer market and wait till some club makes an offer and while you wait, his price tag may depreciate fast! My Buying Players guide will help you with your buying.

If you want a player badly and the club do not want to sell the player then you will often have to table an incredible offer to persuade that club to sell. If your in the position to waste money like when your satisfied with the squad and your bank is loaded then do so. But if you are not, then forget that player and chose someone else with similar qualities which club are not that fussy about selling. This is important as you cannot afford to waste money because that money can either get you out of debt or buy another player. Usually the player you want is not on the transfer markets so that means you have to tempt clubs into selling and you usually have to pay way over the players valuation to get him. If you still want that player and the club really don't want to sell at that moment then it may be wise to wait for next season or they may even sell him at his valuation after you played a dozen or so games. But really, you have to pay top dollar to get the best!

The most unique feature in this version I reckon from the earlier SWOS versions is training which allows you to train. Whether it makes the players better, I do not know. There is no crowd and that gives you a quiet environment with only the sound of the ball pinging around the park and hitting the back of the net. But anyway, I don't know about you but if I haven't played a warm up match before a match I'm not as sharp. This is a excellent feature to get you in the mood and experimenting with tactics. The only disadvantage is that you can injure your own players so watch where you tackle! You play against players in your squad which you can decide who plays in team A (Control team) and who in team B (Computer). Usually play against your reserve team or vice versa.

17: "Playing Against the Computer"

The computer level of ability depends on the club it is controlling, if you are playing against a team like Manchester United, it will be harder to beat. A team like Tranmere FC will be easier to beat when your controlling a premiership side. The computer also has many advantages, for a start, the computer cannot be sent off but can only receive a yellow card (what a darn farce!). Some things the computer does is predictable. For example you know that your going to win the ball in the air 9 out of 10 times and when the computer is attacking horizontally along the by-line near your goal it's safe COs he will walk it into your goalkeepers hands! Also throw-in's are likely to be yours rather than the computers. Computer cannot also get injured, when you tackle a player , the player may fall to the ground like he's just been shot by a German panza, jerking his leg. Don't be fooled by this and expect the player to be injured as the computer will not get injured. You could call this play acting to get a free-kick.

18: "Two-Players Mode"

Playing against another person is a totally different ball game to playing against the computer. One of the greatest feature is to play against one another. Let's see who is the best! It is more unpredictable than playing against the computer because you know sometimes what the computer will do next as another person can play how they like. Depending how good your opponent is, is how easy or tough it is to win the match. Like real soccer. Some people are pro's at this game and others are not so good so the "pro" is likely to win. When playing, it is best to extend the time to the longest. There are many SWOS Competitions that take place around the world were people hook up usually arranged on sensible soccer forums, they meet play and win prizes, nice.

19: "D.I.Y Tournaments"

Another excellent feature is to create your own competitions. You have the choice to chose how many teams take part, whether extra time is included, penalties and pitch type and a choice of which teams any team in the world takes part. This is not an management game so you cannot go out and buy players, your stuck with the original players in that team. You get to title the competition and call it whatever pleases you, for example the "Donkeys Champions League", "Favel Cup" or "Sensible Tournament". It's great to get a few friends around and use this option, you have hours of fun!

Also make your own league or cup competition. I think this option is more challenging then the management option as you cannot improve or buy more players. Injuries while in competition is a right bummer as there may not be a suitable replacement for example both your strikers are injured and there is only one left in the squad. Far worse is when a winger is injured and no natural replacement is possible so you play a player there not of that position. Playing players in different roles to theirs is a certainty.

20: "Place to Kick Start Your Career"

The beauty of this game is that there is always a new challenge ahead of you after you have succeeded in becoming the kings of football in one country. There are over one hundred country leagues to conquer and I bet there isn't anyone out there who eats, sleeps and drinks Sensible World of Soccer has ever competed in every country and won each one. As in real life, different countries have different style and qualities in play. Of course the more high profile leagues are the one's such as Italy's Serie A, English Premiership to the French Premier league. These leagues usually contain the world's most potent players which have a value in the "M" border (million quids). Lower profile leagues are ones such as the Indian League to the USA Major League Soccer. Playing in these leagues can really drag on as that most players don't have speed and it is boring to play. Also the income is bad. You aren't likely to buy a Baggio say in the USA League and just simply tear your opponents apart! (Unless you know a cheat mode!)

For those of you who think your the best SWOS player, the places to play are obviously the money-spinning English Premiership, Italian Serie A, Spain Premiera Liga, France or maybe the Japanese J-League or the Brazilian league. I will now describe the many leagues that I have played in :-

Italy - Serie A

I started with Lazio and found this league tough to start with, but as soon as I got together a good squad I was plain sailing in this league and had a comfortable points cushion always! There are many teams in this league which are the ones to beat such as the likes of Juventus, AC Milian, Inter, Parma etc. The league cup is a hard task too because of the qualities. Fast with opponents likely to shoot from long range and neat passings and one-twos.

Best club to join:-

Juventus - A decent team with a decent strike force but needs serious work in the middle and central defence area. Half decent goalkeeper. (7/10)

AC Milan - Most excited side in Serie A and probably the world! A team which includes 3 world-class strikers in R. Baggio, Weah and Simone. The best central/defending midfield pair in Savicevic and Desailly. Great defender Baresi. You can build a very good side early with AC Milan. (10/10)

Parma - Two world-class strike force and great down the right side but on the left is poor. (7/10)

Lazio - Nice good squad with decent strikers and back four defenders. Good goalkeeper. (8/10)

Inter Milan - Major changes to be made in this team and most of the first team players! Good goalkeeper to start off with. (6/10)

England - FA Carling Premiership

A very tough place to play in. If you think you are a below par SWOS player then you might as well play in the Spanish League with Barcelona. There were a few close encounters for the league title in my career here with Manchester United but only a few. This is a fast and tough league to play in as there are so many teams that will not let you score without a fight! You have the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and even the likes of West Ham or Middlesbrough. I have been involved in many thrilling cup competition clashes in England and many have just manage to progress through the competition or win it in the final or just lost it because the computer performed better!

There are three cup competitions when you play in England(If your in top form). The FA & League Cups are very interesting to play in and you have the Euro Cup so playing in England is time demanding and will defiantly take you longer than any other country to complete a season, so you have to be up to it (If you plan to play all games yourself that is).

Best club to join:-

Manchester United - Great defending players with a excellent goalkeeper. Great wingers in Giggs and Poborsky. Needs work in the central midfield area and a bit in the strikers department. (9/10)

Newcastle United - Three great strikers but major changes needs doing particularly in the middle area and the central defenders area. Goalkeeper ain't that good but has speedy wing backs. Ginola is good as LW. (8/10)

Arsenal - Again, good strike force but needs improving else where. Decent GK but central defence needs replacing. Dixon is ok for RB. Central midfield needs working on too. (7/10)

Chelsea - Not very well balanced team. Only 3 or 4 players which are decent enough to stay. (6/10)

Liverpool - Needs improving at the back. Only 2 first-class strikers. A great right winger in McManaman. Great goalkeeper. (7/10)

England - Division 3 How about working your way to the top from the bottom? I have started from the third division in England and worked my way up. It took about 5-6 seasons to win every top honour and to build a top challenging squad. It is a drag when starting from the bottom COs you start with rather crap players in your team and your bank fundings for players is very low. You may get bored but after a season or two you soon hit your stride and bring in better players. It make's the cup competitions that much exciting too! Get paired with a top premiership team and your already sweating. Just defend like there was no tomorrow! Mind you, if you score you may jump with great satisfaction but, can you hold them to the end? Very cheap to run when you end up in the premiership also!

Japan - J-League

This league has a mixture of qualities. Bad players to great players. If playing in this league, go for a team with the most high valued players. It would take some time for you to balance your team tough, as mixing crappy players with top-class players don't make a balance team spirit. It's a fun league though COs you can totally rip apart a team with your say "Million pounds striker". The major cup competition is played at the end of the league which makes a refreshing change.

Best club to join:-

Yakuhema Merunos - Multi-Million pounds strike force team, and there are only one or two clubs which can say that and this club is one of them. This is the best club to join if you wanna play in the J-League. Major changes defensive areas. (8/10)

Spain - Primera Liga

The Spanish premier league is the level below the english premiership and the italians serie A. There are only a few great sides and it shouldn't cause a storm for beginners or average level players. The obvious decent sides are Barcelona, Real Madrid and Athletico Madrid. The rest are not that up to those clubs standards.

Best club to join:-

Barcelona - Fairly decent side. goal keeper and midfield are great. You have faith in a striker like Ronaldo. (8/10)

Real Madrid - Great midfield and a goodish striker with a top goalkeeper. Needs bolstering the reserves in double quick time. (7/10)

USA - Major League Soccer

Very slow players but some have speed. Mostly the defensive players. Not particularly my kind of place to play as scoring a goal here is like watching a goal go in, in slow motion reply in the premiership, if you know what I mean?

This league is not time demanding than other leagues because of the lesser number of teams involved. There are a few great has-been players in this league but don't expect any magic from them. No cup competitions in this country.

Scotland - Premier

It's a bit like Japan with the mixed talent, well all the great talents are with Rangers and you play each team four times in a season. Great league to practice for the tougher leagues.

Best club to join:-

Rangers - You got the best team in Scotland with Rangers. Better fundings for players to start off with and can build a solid team in a short space of time. Little changes needs making from the front line to the goalkeeper. (9/10)

Taiwan - Premier You'd be better off watching paint dry or playing Kick Off - Forget it!!!

Brazil - Premier

Some neat one-two's and passing in this league. An average league with exceptional players. Ref's are pretty strict in this league and a light tackle could get you sent off the park. Many teams in this league are almost equal. Some are poor and some are good teams. No threat of relegation as there is only the one league and no cup competitions.

Best club to join:- Sao Paulo - Amongst the best teams in Brazil is Sao Paulo. Goalkeeper to the strikers is solid enough for this league. (9/10)

21: "The Sack!"

There may or will come a time when the chairman gets fed-up with your handling of the team and warns you saying :- "Get it sorted or else your fired!". This could mean that your club is in debt or your league position is not to a satisfactory standard. In a case like this, the next game you lose could be your last and it is a thriller! Debt wise, I've never received the sack COs maybe I'm top of the league so "Are you going to sack me or what?" this scenario I think if your so much in debt or your starting to lose and still in debt, you could get the sack. In some cases when you have performed poorly at the end of the season and you hit finish season, you'd get something from the chairman saying "We will not be re-newing your contract.

22: "View Result"

Well we all know this game is asking alot out of us to complete a season or to get to some stage in your season. Well the option "View Result" comes in handy when you do not wish to play a match and that the computer will dump a result for you without you kicking a ball. You can use this option when you think the match is of no important and you'd like to get to a match which needs playing yourself - ASAP! If your pretty lazy or not a confidence player then this option is for you, but it is also a gamble. The computer will almost always favour the result in your way if your up against weaker opposition than your team. But it can give you a result against you if your unlucky! When facing a tough opponent then the result is in the lap of the gods! Could go either way.

I don't know if your only allowed to have so many view results as I have experimented and noticed after about twenty presses and almost always winning against lesser quality teams, I started getting beat sometimes nine in a row regardless of which team I was up against.

Using view result is also not healthy for your team as you can get players of important injured without you witnessing the nasty tackle. Goalkeepers are also in danger as well! In my careers I don't use this option because I'd like to play the matches myself because I don't want any other source to tamper with my statistics. I think many SWOS players are the same.

23 "Erasing Players"

Erasing an existing player is annoying and a big negative of this game. This happens when you sell one of your players say a made-up one to a club like Lazio and that player may replace a striker like Igor Protti and he will disappear forever, well for the rest of your career anyway. This means I cannot buy him in the future when I start to bring in class players because he has ended up in "Mars" playing in the FA Mars Bar League. The Mars Bar League is what I think these players end-up. Giving free transfers is another way to get them there. My thought is not to sell a player to a club if I think it will replace a better player. Sometimes it is OK because you don't care about selling because the offer is too tempting so I don't give a shit.

24: "Gamesmanship/Stress"

It's only a game! If you lose then that could piss you off. In my early stages of playing this game I found it difficult and could not stand to lose. It's true that SWOS can get you stressed out because it's like managing a real football club (well it's the closes I'll get to the real thing!).

If the computer has thrashed you then take it on the chin! You could easily save it and reload it everytime you lose and load it up again until you win! (and repeat the same process before a tough match) This is cheating your true abilities on you playing this game. Just admit the computer is better than you are and your not up to playing SWOS at that level.

I've seen this happen. When I see someone do this I think to myself - "Get a grip women! it's only a game!!!". It could take ten to fifteen attempts, if it happens. People like that need 5-6 chances before they score, he couldn't hit a cow's backside with a Banjo!

You got to make it as realistic as it should be. I mean you can't press escape and reload in real life. Titles are there to be won, and if you lose, you lose. Hard luck and do better next time! If your not up to the challenge, go for an easier league such as the Scottish Premier League and use Rangers. Everytime I get beat by the computer or it puts four pass me (which hardly happens), I accept defeat, even if it means crashing out of a cup competition! I don't let it stress me out. I'm too good to get stressed out anyway. I hate it when I lose but hat's off to the computer! - or to the other person.

25: "Sexy Football!"

Don't get the wrong idea! Anyway, what I mean is some stuff you can try out by playing in a different way. Playing in a artistic fashion like one-touch and goal! here are a few :-

Vinnie Jones - Try to get as many players on your team sent off in the one match, see if you can get the lowest in your team.

Possessive - Play keep ball! See if you can get a 90% possession at the end of the match, very hard!

Beat the Best - Choose a really low profile team from the lowest division and take on a top-class team. See if you can beat them. example, Hong Kong V Brazil is a cool fixture.

One Man Band - Give the ball to the goalkeeper, now get him to go as far up the pitch as he can on his own. At least the half way line is difficult let alone to get him to score!

RocketMan! - You can only score about 35yards out! (That's roughly 2 inch's from the penalty box) Get a striker with a wicked shot like Batistuta.

Ball is Mine! - Get one player to latch on to the ball and keep it at his feet for as long as possible. Player will require ball control, tackling & speed.

Walk the Goalie! - Get the opponents goalkeeper in a situation where he has to follow you in order to claim the ball and try walking him out of his penalty box and beyond! That's if you can avoid their outfield players winning the ball off you in order to carry out the task.

Snap! - Forget about the goal, see those photographers on either side of the goal, try to hit one of them on the nose! (Well I know you can't hit them!)

Roker Roar! - Try to score one after another and keep the fans roaring! Pong! Pong! Pong! - Try to lob the ball over the goal and make the ball rebound the most times! you know, when the ball bounces off the back of the goal and the invisible wall behind the goal.

26: "How to Become a Great SWOS Player"

If you've not already mastered this game then here are my tips. To practice controlling the players you must see most of the ball, so pick a team like AC Milan because they have most of the skilled players there and chose a really low profile team to play against. This is good practice where you can practice ball control, shooting, heading, tackling, movements or tactics and so on. Then work your way up to another level with a tougher tie.

Don't panic when you get into scoring positions, always have an idea of what your about to do before shooting, like which way to place the ball and with how much power. Pass the ball with confidence and make sure the ball will meet another of your players (read:tack, pass & move for tips).

For me, it's not a matter of winning a match, it's by how many goals. I'm always certain I'll win, I rarely lose nowadays. For me, I'd like to win every game in a season and every competition. If the computer wins me then it has performed well. I have set myself standards and like to improve. I hate letting the opponents score for example. The only thing that motivates me now is to break my records (records page). You have to average 4-6 goals a game and occasionally hit double figures in goals in a match. Think positive even if your trailing a match and must win it! After all, it ain't over till the FAT lady sings! (I've scored 3goals on 90mins in a match once!) I think that there is injury time in this game but it don't state it. The final whistle cannot be blown if your attacking deep inside the opponents half with the ball. Title challenge or relegation dogfight, hang in there! Show them that never say die attitude or no surrender. Don't give any team respect, Halifax FC or Inter Milan - blast them off the park!!!

If you feel that a change needs making like changing the tactics during a match then do so. Throw on a subtitude for example a fresh attacker can boost your confidence or simply add to your strike force to get that vital goal! Extra defender to secure a win also. Mastering tackling is also important to become a great player because it limits the opponents hits on goal (read: tack, pass & move for tips). Play the right formations against different types of teams. If there is one player who I think is a threat, I will usually play a tighter defence, for example 5-3-2 or sweeper. (Read: Tactics for advice) You have to be in a good mood and score spectacular goals, not the same old style all the time like the typical angle far post goal, you have to play attractive football, not sexy - but attractive.

When you start a new season, it takes a darn long period to complete it. Don't try playing from start to finish because it will take you ages and you will get tired of it. I usually play for an hour which you can play about 7 or 8 games then save it and start again later. If you drag on then your most likely to start losing games. Also when starting up again, maybe wise to play a few friendliness to get you back in the mood to playing some SWOS.

When at the start of the season, you usually have a large pot of gold sitting in the bank from TV for rights to view the match on whatever channel (most likely to be Sky), sponsors (e.g. kitkat) or that the chairman injects more cash for players. Typically about £13M, spend wisely. Don't go splashing it on a single player with a big price tag if there are certain area's in your first team or squad needs improving. You could buy three or four quality players instead of one talented player. A long term injury to him could make or break your day! You have to build your team. Put down the foundations first - Don't run before you can walk. A good SWOS player will know what needs improving and what area's are sorted. You have to be solid!

Also sell your players wisely, don't sell a player if he may still take part in your season, your key-player may get injured so he may be of use. Also buy wisely, don't buy dud players, many players cost millions but turn out to be worth ten times less. My Buying Players guide comes in handy as I tested many players that are good. Also found a few bargains so take a look! (read: buy & sell for tips)

Players Guide

27: "Spot the Bugs"

No Amiga game is completed without it's bugs. Thankfully, SWOS are only harmless to any game aborting while playing. Here are a few I've spotted :-

Earthquake - Sometimes you get a line flashing on the pitch, the line can vary.

10p coin - I've spotted a 10 pence coin, maybe fallen from one of the players pockets. It's a white dot flashing on the pitch.

Jordan - Sometimes when the goalkeeper collects the ball, he would bounce it up and down for a short while, imitating a basketball player.

Don't shoot! - Many times that has happen to me is when your inside the box and hit fire to shot on goal and it just won't release. This is annoying and when you fire the next time it's already missed.

Mr Freeze - Once the computer just stood there with the ball next to him while I could move freely until a touched the ball and unfreezed him.

Spectator - Very rarely is that one of your strikers is off the park standing there! until ball is out of play

Lightning - When replay, a flash of light may appear.

28: "SWOS: Amiga V PC"

I've only played the PC version of SWOS briefly so cannot compare much more than I'd wish. But I do know is that the Amiga version is much better from what I've seen and hear. I've spoken to many sensi players and most prefer the Amiga version like myself. On the PC when I played on the game, I was using keyboard, not ideally for me, and have you seen PC type joysticks! The screen shot is also closer which makes the players on screen larger and the screen area smaller, again not for me. The Amiga gives you smaller players and bigger area!

(Goal!)

The playability is maybe the same but I would reckon the Amiga might edge that. I see that people are playing through a season and at the end have scored ton's of goals and some people claims to have not concede a single goal throughout the season. Meaning the PC is just too soft or they are fibbing. The Amiga wouldn't allow that it's mission impossible! Noway.

(Goal!)

The only advantage I could see the PC over the Amiga is that loading/Saving the game maybe kinder because of CD/hard drive facilities. The Amiga it's waiting a few minutes to load and annoying disk swapping! Plus that worst case scenario - spilt coffee on the disks!

(Goal!) Result: Amiga 2-1 PC To be fair to the PC, Sensible Soccer '98, it's simply beyond the Amiga!

30: "Ricky's Final Comments"

Well SWOS friends, I've been playing for seven years now (92-99) and I still get a buzz when playing this game. I still think it's the best soccer game on the market, forget that 3D stuff (which makes you feel giddy!), this still kicks arse! Well since sensisoft ain't gonna release anything newer than SWOS 96/97 for the Amiga computer then I guess I'll wait for a Sensi comeback in the form of Sensible Soccer 2006 on the playstation. As for this SWOS 96/97 homepage, it's hardly ever gonna get updated at this moment because the game has whittled down to the bargain bins section (if ever).

I hope you have found this page informative and helpful in anyway. I don't think I could endure another career, well not in a matter of months anyway. I always will be playing as long as I'm still performing greatly. I just don't have time to concentrate on completing a career in a short space of time.

I think I've covered about everything on SWOS 96/97, if not - then let me know what I may have left out or queries about anything about the game. A special thankyou to anyone who sent in players for me to test and that player has ended up in the players guide, Thanks! - Seeya!

Ricky's SWOS Tactics & Advice Zone - written by Ricky CK Tang