Previous Next

What could be more exciting than kicking a football around on a Saturday afternoon? The thrill of scoring, the elation of winning. What could be more thrilling?

How about managing the finances and training of the club? Hmm. Doesn't sound particularly astounding does it? Thing is, football management games have been an incredible success over the years. Contrary to all the rules of computer gaming, performing tedious administrative chores is a hit! European Superleague gives you the chance to manage some of the top teams in the sport. These include lush European teams like AC Milan and Barcelona. Thrillsville!

Your tasks include the hiring and firing of players and various other managerial chores. The object of the exercise is to take your team all the way to the top and win the European cup. But in order to do this, you have to beat seven other teams.

You keep a diary of all your tasks for the week. If you fail to perform any of these then you could affect the moral of the team. Team moral is just a small problem however, your main worry is the club chairman. Fail to please him and you could be picking up your briefcase for the last time.

The game uses an icon-driven menu system, the main section being your office. From here, you can move the pointer to any part of the office. Choosing the diary on the desk allows you to check forthcoming appointments. The filing cabinet contains accounts information and team formation plans. From here you can decide on strategies for the next match.

The telephone is very useful, you can make or receive calls at any time. The most frequent telephone calls come from the press. They require a comment from the manager. You are given a choice of replies and must choose the one most suitable. Hint: saying the team's poor performance is the Chairman's fault is not a good idea.

You can also contact managers of other teams. When you get through you can offer to sell one of your own players or buy one of theirs. This is a good way to make a quick profit if you get into financial difficulty. Alternatively buying one of their expensive players could be a valuable investment and boost team moral.

Training teams is also important. Deciding on the best team and play strategies is where your success hinges. If you choose a good team for the next match but a duff strategy then you could be up the creek.

The matches run entirely automatically. Displayed with lovely graphics are the foolish antics of your initially duff team. You cannot actually control the players at this point, you can only sit back and watch, fingers crossed.

The graphics throughout the game are good bordering on excellent. The whole thing has a tremendously polished feel. The control method is responsive and intuitive and is fairly self-explanatory.

The game itself is very large and very complex. The smallest action could lead to horrible consequences. You keep waiting for that summons to the chairman's office and the presentation of your P45.

Sound effects are mostly limited to the odd bleep here and there, but the phone rings in a most convincing manner: it had Adam picking up the receiver on many occasions! (Wassock)

European Superleague is an in-depth game. It'll be a long while before you lead your team to ultimate success but if this is your cup of tea, it'll be fun getting there. A very impressive product and a fun game to boot... gooaaal!

These football management games are completely dull. Still, some people obviously like them, and European Superleague is much better presented than most.

Win the first match.

Graphics 84%
Brilliantly detailed and well implemented visuals.

Sonics 62%
Not much, but the trimphone is completely lush.

Grab Factor 74%
The easy control method makes the complex idea workable.

Staying Power 80%
When you get the hang of it, it's a big and engrossing challenge.

Overall 75%
European Superleague is at the top of the table when it comes to football management.