Stoned, when referring to sports, means a defensive stop that stalls any offensive attack dead in its tracks.

Stoned, when referring to Super Shot Soccer, a Tecmo release for the PlayStation game console, could simply mean Team China's tactic of dropping the Great Wall onto the field.

Of course 16 of the game�s 30 nations have a symbol that exerts a presence on the field ­ the U.S. has the Statue of Liberty while France has the Eiffel Tower. All these are akin to power-ups and while they make Super Shot Soccer entertaining, they can�t quite elevate the game into the upper stratosphere of the console genre.

There are four main game options ­World Tournament (you have to qualify in your group league and 32 teams advance to the tournament ­ as in the World Cup), International League (a round-robin tourney with eight teams), International Cup (a 16-teamtourney), and Test Match (akin to a Friendly).

The game does have a nice options package, including match time, difficulty, time of day and weather, penalty kicks to determine winners of tied games, and vibration on or off. Team formations can be altered; you can also pick out your kicker for the free kicks that occur during the course of the game.

Graphically this game can�t compete with other programs of the genre. The effects are nice and entertaining, but the animation is flat, two-dimensional and not as smooth as other similar titles (EASports' FIFA title comes to mind) for this platform.

The control elements will not take long to become familiar with ­ give yourself a Test Match or two and you should have the fundamentals down well enough to compete against either another person or the computer AI.

Super Shot Soccer is merely an average game. It just doesn't have the graphical quality to compete, and there are other games with unique power-ups that would give it a run for the Cup.

This game is rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 7.5
The matches move smoothly and quickly, and you can spend some time in the options package setting up your team.

Graphics: 6.8
The animations lack the smoothness and finesse of a FIFA game from EA Sports, and the fixed camera and two-dimensional look can�t compete with other titles in the genre and on this platform.

Sound: 6.5
This game can�t compete with other titles for the quality of sound offered.

Difficulty: Easy
The controls are not overly complicated and players should be able to dive in and compete after playing a Friendly match or two.

Concept: 7
Give Tecmo credit for the icons used as power-ups or special abilities. But the rest of the game seems a little stilted.

Multiplayer: 7
Up to two players can battle it out and guide a team through tournaments or qualifying rounds.

Overall: 6.8
This game can't compete with other console titles. It has some nice add-ons, though it trips up in the graphics department. While a pleasant game, if you are looking for solid soccer action, there are better titles on the market.