Replicating all the action and feel of a live sporting event in a battery-operated handheld console is a tall order. But that hasn"t stopped the folks at MGA Entertainment from setting it as their goal with World Cup Soccer, one of several sporty entries in their Deluxe Games line. Powered by two 1.5-volt cell batteries (included), World Cup Soccer offers two games on its 1.75-by-1.13-inch LCD screen, which is imbedded in a translucent plastic handset. Thumb controls activate the screen icons in either a ball-shooting competition against the computer, or in a point race during the two game halves. The directional controls are effectively arranged in a quartet of pie wedges easily within thumb"s reach. Ultimately, though, it"s the miniscule, squint-inducing LCD graphics (which tend to appear and disappear depending on how outside light hits the screen) that actually replicates the arena experience. But only if you bought a really cheap ticket. --Tony Mason