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Armchair football management is, of course, one of the most popular sports in the country. All across the nation, living rooms and lounge bars echo to rampant male egos casting derision on the so-called talents of various footy managers. Everyone things they can do it better, so under the circumstances it's not so much a surprise that a management simulation has arrived for the Megadrive, so much a wonder that it's taken so long.

As we mentioned in last month's preview, the reason for the delay is not so much a lack of demand but the development time swallowed up in finding a way to squeeze a saved game into the Megadrive's relatively limited capacity.

Typical saved games on the PC run to about 500k, while a battery save on a Megadrive cartridge can only store 32K. It's taken some head-scratching at Gremlin to find a way round the problem, but the result is the very first cartridge-based football management sim. Development efforts have also been concentrated on statistical accuracy. Fifteen hundred players from the top four divisions are featured in the game, each with variable scores for their prowess at tackling, shooting, passing and handling, as well as fitness and agility.

Success means wearing the hats of chairman, coach and manager as best you can. Failure means you're heading for the job centre mid-season...

The animated scoreboard brings you highlights of your match. A simple indicator shows you the rough position of the ball on the pitch, and a rolling on-screen commentary tells you who has possession. It's edge of your seat time when the opposition approaches your goal space and takes a kick - will it be a miss, a save or a goal?

The display also informs you of bookings and injuries. These are especially amusing as a comedy ambulance zoomes into shot and speeds away with your brave little soldier in the back.

Elements from all three PC Premier Manager games combine in the first Megadrive football management simulation.

Train your squad, maintain your ground, beat the opposition and balance the books.

Did anyone buy a Megadrive hoping to play a football management sim on it? I thought not. This is a brave and genuinely unprecedented entry into the console stakes. Despite the fact Premier Manager will clearly be up against absolutely no competition whatsoever, its fine pedigree and careful adaptation have contributed towards this being a solid game.

Scratch the surface and the seemingly endless tables of statistics begin to make sense. Follow your players through the on-screen commentary that simulates each match and you'll soon find yourself encouraging your brave lads. In short, the more you give Premier Manager, the more rewarding it becomes.

The illusion is only shattered when you stumble across the odd inaccuracy (while the teams are pot on on for the new season, some of the players seem misplaced) and when you get the impression your squad is behaving in a generic 'division 3' or 'division 2' manner.

Overlook these minor quibbles, however, and you'll be surprised how compelling a statistics-based management sim can be.

Footy management sims have always been well received on computer formats - Spectrum Football Manager kept programmer Kevin Toms in beer money for years. So it's surprising it's taken five years and numerous unoriginal platform games before the Megadrive gets its own version.

But for those itching to be Ardiles, Atkinson, Keegan or Dagliesh, it's just the ticket. Initially the game might repel with its distinct lack of tutorial and screens of visually-challenged tables.

Within a short time (an evening) you'll begin to make sense of what makes the game tick, and then get down to the tricky task of making a successful and profitable team. The only reason this doesn't score into the 'magic Nineties' is its single save game position.

The inability to hold more than a single team is a frustation. Even so, this has the biggest RAM memory of any Sega cart. Which is why such games are best suited to computers, after all.

Graphics 75%
P. Some snappy icons make things fairly self-explanatory, and the picture menu keeps things moving.

Animation 65%
P. There is only minimal animation to accompany the match commentary, but it adds some much-needed flavour.

Music 60%
N. Nothing surprising, but who needs music in a management sim?

Effects 55%
N. Much more could have been made of the crowd's roars and whistles.

Playability 87%
P. The more you know about football the more fun you'll have.
N. The less you know, the longer it will take to get started.

Lastability 92%
P. Highly unpredictable, and hugely compelling as a result.

Overall 89%
A surprisingly addictive game, dressed in deceptively drab clothes.