Product Reviews

The Football Manager series has become one of the most influential sport video games of modern times. Its playability and sheer depth have dominated the sports management genre for the past decade.

Although the wealth of statistics in Football Manager may seem daunting to a beginner, it only takes a short time to get used to playing it because it is well laid out. Football Manager 2007 has retained this quality and brought in a host of new features that enhance the managing experience. Ingame tips, which appear during loading screens, offer vital information that anyone from the beginner through to the most experienced of players will find useful. You can even configure your own homepage, as well as personalise the bookmarks and shortcuts available, enabling you to navigate your way around the game more quickly and easily than previously.

Although the look of the game has been slightly revamped - the layout hasn't changed much since the 2006 version despite boasting about a 'brand new skin' on the box - the visuals are smoother and easier on the eye than in earlier versions. However, it is in the actual gameplay where most of the main changes have occurred. New features, which originated in the 2006 version, such as Team Talks, have been vastly improved upon.

Team Talks seemed a little ineffectual in Football Manager 2006 but have now been given a major overhaul, making it a much more innovative feature. Not only do they have a much more noticeable effect on your team, but it is more obvious how you can use them to your advantage, thanks to the in-game tips as well as feedback

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from your assistants. You are also able to talk to your team before kick-off, whereas previously this was only possible at half-time or at the end of a game.

The transfer market also has some new features, enabling you to consult with any member of your staff, even the players, about who your next purchase should be. This adds an interesting dimension to the game, because the team member you ask may have the team's best interests at heart, or he might even be trying to help out an old teammate who wants to move to a bigger club.

A brand new feature for the 2007 version is the introduction of feeder clubs. These clubs have special a relationship with a major team, and as such are allowed to have first choice when it comes to the loan signings of youth or reserve team players from the larger club. These players then benefit from valuable first team experience and are more likely to improve as a result of this. In return, the larger clubs are first in line when it comes to signing young and promising players from these smaller clubs, so there are benefits for both teams. However, the system does make it hard for the feeder clubs to hang onto any promising players for any real length of time.

The stability of the game as a whole has also vastly improved. Football Manager 2006 was unpredictable on occasion, which could be very frustrating, especially if it crashed before the current game was saved. The editor was often the culprit for this, which is why it was usually wise to avoid using it. However, it now seems that the majority of the problems have been fixed, resulting in a much more pleasant, and less tedious gaming experience.

Despite these tweaks, Football Manager 2007 remains much the same as it's always been. Lack of major changes would normally be a bad thing, but the Football Manager series is now so near to perfection that any drastic change is unnecessary. It is still as addictive as ever, and will consume your social life, but it is still a game that takes years to truly master, which is part of its appeal. Football Management 2007 is the best incarnation yet, and football fans will love it. Anyone else, however, should stay well away.