Emlyn Hughes International Soccer

Emlyn Hughes International Soccer (EHIS) is a football (soccer) computer game first released in 1988 by Audiogenic Software Ltd. It debuted on Commodore 64, but versions were quickly made also for Amstrad, Spectrum, Atari ST and Amiga as part of Audiogenic's general cross-platform strategy. Upon its release it was hailed as the most realistic football simulation ever made, and the game gathered rave reviews from nearly every magazine. With its immense popularity it also brought together many football enthusiasts, and still enjoys a small but enthusiastic cult following more than 15 years after its release.

Every version of the game was programmed by Graham Blighe and produced by Peter Calver, with graphics created by Andrew Calver and the strategy section coded by Michael McLean (in later versions Terry Wiley). The music for the Commodore 64 version was done by Barry Leitch.

At the time of its release EHIS faced heaviest competition from titles such as Match Day II (1987), Kick Off (1989) and Sensible Soccer (1992). However, what made EHIS different from the other games of its time was the fine balance between playability and simulation. It was not as slow as Match Day II, but not as reflex-driven as Kick Off or Sensible Soccer, either. As a result, the appeal of EHIS was strongest among those who enjoy skilful, tactical football, yet did not mind some action, either. Despite somewhat lacking in graphics and having the top-down side view made old-fashioned by Kick Off's bird's-eye perspective, EHIS held its own because of its complex controls system that, albeit difficult to learn quickly, gave the players a full control over their game. At the same time, the game was also highly configurable with everything from the players' stats and names to the pitch and shirt colours changeable, and competitions including cup, championship and league available.

External links

• Emlyn Hughes International Soccer Community Home of the Emlyn Hughes International Soccer Fans
• Audiogenic Audiogenic Software's home page