Do the new features really add anything? (Championship Manager 00/01 (PC))

Member Name: zeolite3d

Product:	Championship Manager 00/01 (PC)
Date:	22/06/02 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: detailed and accurate stats on over 100,000 players, very addictive

Disadvantages: poor graphics and sound, slow on older machines

Championship Manager now includes many new features the original versions lacked. These include: being about to manage in 26 different countries, a more sophisticated, EU-regulated transfer system, better scouting and training systems, more interactivity with the board and attribute masking and "random players" options which give the game more depth once you have memorised all the real player stats.

Although Championship Manager now lets you manage teams in 26 different countries, I have only devoted any sreious time to the English, Spanish and Italian leagues. The South American leagues have totally different competition systems, which I simply couldn't be bothered to learn. Although having to learn the attributes of the new unknown players in this league can add more lastability to the game and create a new challenge, the same effect can be created by starting an English league without using real players. This saves having to learn the new local rules such as the workings of their transfer system.

I do really like the new training routines. You can focus on develpoing specific skills of each player to make them better suited to your style of play (which is good if like me you like to invent your own formations) and you can also teach players to play in new positions if you think their attributes make them suitable for that position.

Interaction with the board could in theory take the game into a new level of depth. However, if like me you would much rather concentrate on playing matches than attending board meetings, you will be reluctant to take advantage of this feature. Fortunately, the game seems to account for this and the amount of time you spend negotiating with the board seems to be very flexible

The new features of Championship Manager, such as its support for leagues in so many other countries may offer relief for compulsive players, but for someone who is only partially addicted, these features are not r
eally necessary. What makes Championship Manager such a brilliant and addictive game (in my opinion) is the way it realistically re-creates what it must be like to really manager a football team

Summary: