I first got this game way back in March 1993 when I was 12 and for some reason I thought it was great. Originally released on the Commodore Amiga in summer 1992 to coincide with the Barcelona Olympics it eventually found its way onto the Genesis at around the same time as Robocod (which I also loved), so I guess my fondness of James Pond made me turn a blind eye to the limited appeal of the game.
Basically there are 10 different aquatic events that Pond and his pals take part in. Some are fun, like the Hop, Skip and Jump, 100 Metre Splash, Shell Shooting, Bouncy Castle but others like Feeding Time and Kipper Watching are really boring and last for 4 very long minutes.
The multi-player was even more tedious and I rarely stuck with it long enough for it to be worthwhile. I would like to see all 4 James Pond games re-released and perhaps The Aquatic Games could be improved if more events and bonus games were added to it. As it stands right now, it's just not worth it for 10 different events.
Graphics A- Sound B Gameplay B- Lasting Appeal C+