FIFA Manager 10 for Windows

Mastermind a world-beating football team

Football Manager is generally regarded as the best soccer management game out there. In recent years though, FIFA Manager has made up some ground on its rival, and this latest incarnation is the most impressive to date.

FIFA Manager 10 is perhaps a better choice than Football Manager 2010 if you're a newcomer to management sims. The FIFA game holds your hand a bit more, guiding you through the nuances of all of the strategic elements and explaining how to access all of the menus. The user interface is colorful and attractive with well laid-out menus and visual aids. Features such as a news Website, magazine, and an 'Ups and Downs' that helps you track the performance of your youth side, are very well presented and give the game that polished look you associate with the FIFA game series.

You start a game in FIFA Manager 10 by creating a profile, where you not only set your personal details, but also choose a team and define your targets for the season. Once you're up and running you'll need to pay attention to all aspects of the running of the club, such as team tactics, coaching, youth team, transfers, dealing with the press, and even controlling the merchandising and running of the club shop. Such is this level of diversity, FIFA Manager 10 often feels more like a series of different strategy games joined into one.

For the first time ever, FIFA Manager 10 comes with an online mode, although this is, unfortunately, absent from this demo version.

FIFA Manager 10 consists of almost 4,000 clubs and there are 37,000 players available. yet somehow it manages to feel a lot lighter and less overwhelming than some of its opponents. Mind you, it doesn't feel as in-depth as Football Manager 2010 in terms of the options available to you.

In effect, FIFA Manager 10 wins the prize for 'style', while Football Manager 2010 triumphs in the 'substance' stakes.