Graham Gooch World Class Cricket
| Industry | Video game development and publishing |
|---|---|
| Products | Graham Gooch World Class Cricket, Brian Lara Cricket |
Graham Gooch World Class Cricket is a cricket simulation video game created and distributed by Audiogenic in 1993. The game carries the endorsement of former England cricketer Graham Gooch and was made available for the Amiga and PC systems.
Gameplay
The game allows users to engage in either test match formats or One Day Internationals, with an option to select from three distinct bowling techniques: fast, spin, or swing bowling. Fielding can be adjusted manually or set to automatic, with difficulty tiers ranging from Amateur through Professional to World Class. It showcases pseudo-3D visuals, including moving player shadows. The roster includes every international test team from 1993 along with a World XI squad, complete with comprehensive batting averages and player statistics.
Versions and updates
Multiple localized versions were launched:
- Allan Border Cricket: Tailored for the Australian market.
- Battle for the Ashes: A simplified edition focused on the 1993 Ashes series.
- Jonty Rhodes II - World Class Cricket: Released specifically in South Africa.
- Brian Lara Cricket: Initially sold exclusively through the UK Game retail chain.
- Brian Lara Cricket '96: An updated release incorporating English county teams; marketed as Shane Warne Cricket in Australia, featuring state teams.
Two significant expansions improved the base game:
- Graham Gooch's Second Innings: An add-on requiring the original title, updating player statistics to 1994, including classic matches such as Gooch’s record score of 333, plus English county sides.
- Graham Gooch World Class Cricket - Test Match Special Edition: A package combining the original game with the Second Innings expansion.
Ports
A version for the Atari Jaguar, developed by Williams Brothers Developments and planned for publication by Telegames around early to mid-1995, was demonstrated at SCES '94 but ultimately canceled due to Atari Corporation withdrawing from the console industry.
Legacy
After releasing Graham Gooch's World Class Cricket, Audiogenic developed Brian Lara Cricket for the Sega Mega Drive, licensed through Codemasters. In 1996, Codemasters acquired Audiogenic’s development team and proceeded to produce a series of cricket titles under both the Brian Lara and Shane Warne franchises. It is noteworthy that Brian Lara Cricket is essentially a rebranded iteration of Graham Gooch World Class Cricket.