World class

For over ten years, Sports Interactive has been producing the finest football management simulations in the world, first under the Championship Manager name and then later as the Football Manager series. In all that time the experience has mostly been single-player - truly dedicated fans have been able to set up online leagues, but it was always a complicated labour of love, only for the hardcore.

But now here's Football Manager Live a massively-multiplayer online management game, which allows you to compete against other managers all over the world, in a series of league and cup competitions. When you buy the game, you get a free three-month subscription - when that runs out you'll need to pay a monthly fee (We offer a four-month subscription for just £24.99). It's a similar model to the big MMORPG games like World of Warcraft, except here you're battling against football managers rather than orcs and wizards.

Team-building

The setting-up process takes a little while, but there's a lot to sort out. You need to get online, register and choose from one of the available leagues. Then it's time to pick a team name, a team strip and a home ground. And finally the fun bit - building your league-stomping first eleven. Your original side can be selected through a handy automatic system, but later, players are bought and sold on a fantastic eBay style auction system, allowing you to bid against other desperate managers - just like in the real game. It's incredibly addictive and compelling, and a real rush when you finally secure that pacy winner to complete your perfect side.

From here on it's intense football action against all the other sides in your chosen league. Each football season lasts up to three weeks and you can play matches whenever you're able to fit them in. It's also possible to set up unofficial matches and competitions if you fancy getting in a bit of practice, or humiliating a friend.

Points mean progress

Football Manager Live matches work just like in regular Football Manager title: you watch the game progress on a 2D pitch layout, making tactical adjustments and substitutions as the drama plays out. To begin with, you only have a limited selection of abilities, but as you gain more experience, new in-depth options become available, and you can choose whether you want to specialise in areas such tactics, transfers or finance, depending on the type of manager you see yourself as. It's a clever take on the character progression system in a traditional RPG and adds a real sense of longevity and learning to the experience.

And while you're fighting your way up the league, the business-side of Football Manager Live goes on in the background. You have to pay a decent wage to your players, and will need cash to dabble in the transfer market. Your basic earnings are affected by your reputation - the better your team performs, the more cash you get from your league - and this virtual income needs to be dealt with carefully to avoid plunging in to the red. It's complicated at first, but adds hugely to the overall strategic depth of the game, giving you an intriguing glimpse at what real managers must go through as they leave one eye on the transfer market and the other on the financial bottom line.

Real-world cup

But the real magic of Football Manager Live is the feeling that you're out there against other wannabe managers. You can chat to your opponents during the game using an instant messaging system, or go onto the dedicated chat server, where all the game issues and controversies are discussed - you can even pop in and watch matches taking place elsewhere in the world. With plenty of moderators and helpful veterans around, there's a real sense of community here, and as you play in leagues, you'll soon start to recognise and maybe even form rivalries with other coaches.

Football Manager Live is a vast, comprehensive and overwhelmingly ambitious simulation, absolutely jam-packed with fascinating features. It'll take a while for you to comprehend what's going on, and some of the screens can be a little daunting with floods of stats and figures streaming down the page. But it's possible to take things slowly and gradually ramp up your involvement, playing matches when you can and tweaking your team player by player. Before you know it, you'll be a wheeler-dealer on the transfer market and a tactical genius on the turf. For football fanatics who love the idea of taking on other management masterminds, this is absolutely essential.

GAME's Verdict

• Staggering depth and detail
• Great sense of community and rivalry
• Endless challenge

• Will take a while to get into
• Presentation is typically busy and complex
• You need to dedicate plenty of time to it!

Review by: Keith 'Touchline Tantrum' Stuart
Version Tested: PC
Review Published: 30.01.09