| Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona | |
| Publisher: | Argus Press Software Ltd.[1] [2] |
| Developer: | Icon Design |
| Released: | Commodore 64: Amstrad CPC: ZX Spectrum: |
| Genre: | Sports simulation |
| Modes: | Single-player[3] Multiplayer (up to two players) |
| Platforms: | Amstrad CPC Commodore 64 ZX Spectrum |
Peter Shilton's Handball Maradona (referred to in title as Peter Shilton's Football) is a multiplatform association football simulation video game that was released in 1986 for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. The game's title refers to the "hand of God" goal scored by Diego Maradona against England at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.[1]
While the game is ostensibly a football simulation video game, it differs from other football games in that the player only ever controls the goalkeeper: instead of playing a full match, the player is presented with a number of preset scenarios (such as a standard attack, or a set piece like a corner kick or penalty kick) where the player is expected to save the shot on goal - to do this, the player can move freely within the six yard box, and jump or dive sideways. Once the shot is saved or the goal is conceded, the play stops and the game goes on to the next scenario.
The game features three game modes centered around the core mechanic:
The player must pick one of sixteen teams of the Football League First Division, although no player names or team colours are featured.
The Commodore 64 version has some extra sound effects and some limited digitized speech.[1] [4]
AllGame gave the game a score of 2.5/5 stars. Writing for Zzap!64, Julian Rignall judged the game as "vastly overpriced and not really worth buying", noting that while the core gameplay was fun, the repetitive nature didn't provide enough replay value.[5]