Alex Ferguson's Player Manager 2003

Anco and Ubi Soft must have been more than a little worried when Sir Alex of Manchester (red section) made his decision to retire from football management at the end of the 2001/2002 season. Who would they turn to, to endorse their Player Manager 2002? Martin O'Neill? Gerard Houillier? Glenn Hoddle? Face it, no contemporary manager has the same pulling power as Alex, and his team have one of the highest profiles in Europe. Thank goodness he didn't pack it in, then.

The packaging features the man himself, of course, but it might as well be any manager gazing out from the cover. It's the game experience that matters, and Anco have come up trumps once again. Veterans of the football management game, you really shouldn't expect anything less than a comprehensive sim from Anco, and that's just what you get with Player Manager 2002.

PM 2002 couldn't be more aptly named. You have a choice of whether to manage and play as part of your chosen team, or to simply stand on the sidelines, so to speak, and coach your squad. In the first case, your statistics will be comparable to other players in the team in the top division and slightly better in lower divisions. It makes a great deal of sense to choose a lower league club at the outset and work your way up the metaphorical league management ladder.

If you're familiar with the previous Ferguson-endorsed Player Manager games, you'll find that not a lot has changed in terms of presentation. Look a little deeper, and you'll discover a finely-tuned game engine, a great 3D match perspective in which you can observe your performance, post-match analysis, the dreaded player's agent intent on sucking your finances dry, a simple-to-use tactics interface, and over 3,500 players to toy with - if you can afford them!