The footballing world is your oyster in Football Manager 2005 (FM2005) and with the game containing 158 playable first-team leagues from 51 countries, there are few limits to what you can achieve in your virtual career in management. A choice of a whopping 2351 clubs and a whole world of international teams allows you to take control of the globe's finest clubs from the off, take the top job with your favourite national side, start your career in the lower leagues, or take your place in the ... more >>

The footballing world is your oyster in Football Manager 2005 (FM2005) and with the game containing 158 playable first-team leagues from 51 countries, there are few limits to what you can achieve in your virtual career in management. A choice of a whopping 2351 clubs and a whole world of international teams allows you to take control of the globe's finest clubs from the off, take the top job with your favourite national side, start your career in the lower leagues, or take your place in the dole queue and wait for a job to be offered to you - the choice is yours. Be warned, however, that choosing the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United or Chelsea means that expectations are guaranteed to be high. Starting out with a more humble outfit might be the best path to glory.

FM2005 is designed so that each day of the game is broken into morning, afternoon and evening periods. When you consider that a real-life club's training regime can include sessions in the morning and afternoon, and that matches always kick-off at either 3PM or sometime between 7.45 and 8PM, it makes a deal of sense. In keeping with Sports Interactive's Championship Manager credo, navigating through the game is as simple as it can be, despite the huge amount of date contained herein.

A really nice touch in FM2005 is the chance to nominate your favourite team at the outset of the game, should you resist the urge to take control of it from the start. Nominating means you will tend to receive more news items regarding your favourite club during the game, and, should you ever apply for the managerial position, the board may well look at your application more favourably, with you having declared your love for the Quakers, Trotters, Toffees, etc.

A whole host of management options and features offer an unparalleled level of detail. FM2005 provides the option to fully customise the training of your team, enabling managers to assign specific schedules; take the fight to your closest rivals off the pitch with management mind games; and exercise pinpoint control over your team's game, including their creative freedom, width and tempo. Golly, even your star players have preferred moves if any club shows an interest.

Football Manager 2005 is everything we have come to expect from the folks behind E***s's Championship Manager series, but this time on a new label, and available to buy long before CM5 makes its appearance. Result! << less