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Q. How do you make a management game look exciting? A. Slap on the box the name of the most successful football manager of the eighties, that's how.

The man whose rare words of wisdom have inspired thousands (understood by dozens) has put his impressive image to work for this new game from Cognito.

An icon driven game, Kenny Dalglish does exactly the same as every other management sim, but with pretty pictures rather than boring titles. Everything's there, even a boardroom crew that includes trainers, scouts, accountants and bank managers (you really want to play a game that stars your bank manager?).

Nothing new has been done to take the genre forward except for the icons. Everything develops at snail's pace, with you filling in the time between matches balancing the club's books, looking around for new talent and swapping the team about. The only real influence you can bring to bear is the side you select and their playing formation.

So you wade through the season, constantly checking your job security rating, aware that runs of bad luck only ever end in the dole office. When your league position solidifies everything gets a bit dull, as you're unable to find any more players of quality to buy - borrowing the money's no hassle, but try spending it!

As a fourth division side, you eventually get knocked out of the cup and life just carries on. There comes a time in the season when is either promotion is in the bag or out of the question and the cup competitions are memories. What else can a manager do apart from sit around and just wait for the axe to fall?

Kenny is a well-done example of a stagnant game form. There are no rough edges, but there's no magic either. Even the screens, with their slow re-draw speed, eventually become an irritant, because with no direct influence on the field of play you end up feeling the helpless pilot of a prearranged course - a spectator and not a player. Nice try Cognito, but it needs something other than a big name to carry this genre.

I don't quite see the attraction of football management games. But if you do, this is the one to get alright.

Nicely suited - just like Kenny himself!

Graphics 64%
P. Good icon usage.

Sonics 0%
N. The hills aren't alive with the sound of nothing.

Grab Factor 62%
P. Icons are user friendly.

Staying Power 58%
N. The season stagnates if you're not up for the cup.

Overall 60%
P. Good example of its type...
N. ... but hardly earth shattering.