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Before the big guns (Domark, US Gold) get to hit the management market scene, old-hand 8-bitters Codemasters are creeping in with their effort.

As usual, you're the manager of a fledgling team - the fact that it might be Liverpool has nothing to do with it - with all the decisions facing you: which players to pick, which fixtures to arrange, what tactics to use and so on. The information you need is presented as a series of menu and info screens, and to make a decision you just have to click on whatever icon you want. Games are presented as a commentary with the minutes ticking by, and whenever anything interesting happens you're shown an overhead view of the event. Accompanying all this are some rather plainish graphics and now and again a tune or two.

There isn't all that much you can do with a football simulation, so it's all down to the details that are included in each. First Division Manager is all right in this department but not as promising - if that's the word you can apply to something as unriveting as football management - as the forthcoming Domark game. Graphically it's extremely simple but at least an effort has been made to make what are basically text screens look reasonably interesting.

There's nothing particularly startling here, but nothing that's really laughably awful either. Could be worth a look if you hanker after a life of accountancy.

1. Graphics are functional rathr than impressive, unlike Player Manager.