How to play Pelé’s Soccer online
- Move your team: arrow keys (all eight directions)
- Kick or pass: Space bar – hold it longer for a longer kick
- Player 2 (two-player games): T/F/G/H to move, A to kick
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Choose one of the 54 variations: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Handicap (bigger goal to defend): F4 for Player 1, F9 for Player 2
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
Each team has three outfield players – one forward and two backs – plus a goalkeeper. You don’t switch between players: the joystick moves all three fielders together, and the goalkeeper looks after himself until a shot comes in. Run your team onto the ball until one of them traps it, then push the joystick the way you want it to go. Small movements dribble the ball, and pressing the button kicks it. The toe kick is the fastest and strongest shot, and the best way to score.
A goal only counts if the ball goes fully into the net; a ball resting on the goal line does not count. After a goal, the other team kicks off from the centre. A match has two halves, the teams swap ends at half-time, and the clock at the top of the screen counts down each half. The higher score at the final whistle wins.
Variations and switches
Games 1–27 are for two players and games 28–54 are against the computer. The variations combine three team speeds (slow, moderate, fast), three goal sizes (large, medium, small) and, in two-player games, three penalty settings (none, sideline, or sideline and goal). In one-player games the third option is the computer’s skill: easy, moderate or difficult. Speed also sets the match length: halves last 3 minutes when slow, 4 when moderate and 5 when fast. Setting a player’s difficulty switch to A enlarges that player’s goal, a handy handicap when a stronger player takes on a beginner.
Tips
- Shoot with the toe kick. Normal kicks are easy for the keeper to stop; save the powerful toe kick for when you are in range.
- Remember the whole team moves. Pulling back to defend also pulls your forward away from the attack, so choose your moment.
- Learn on slow, large-goal games. Then move to smaller goals and faster teams once you can control the ball.
From Championship Soccer to Pelé’s Soccer
The cartridge was renamed after Pelé agreed to endorse it. The deal made sense: at the time both Atari and the New York Cosmos, Pelé’s club, belonged to Warner Communications. Pelé appeared in commercials and took part in promotional tours, and after a 1981 tour of the Benelux countries sales of the game rose sharply there. Sears sold the same game as plain Soccer, and later compilations went back to the Championship Soccer name because the endorsement deal had long expired.
