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After a weekend in which I watched my beloved QPR rise to the top of Division One, what more could I want than a good whirl at a football game - wrenching Football Director from a disillusioned Mike Pattenden's hands I was off. Football Director is the first offering I've seen from this soccer-crazed software house in Stevenage, so it was with a certain degree of curiosity that I cast my eye over this.

The packaging was the first thing to catch my eye, it seems to bear a very strange likeness to Imagine's Super Soccer, still... mustn't grumble. Whilst loading up the game, I thought I'd have a customary read of the instructions only to find there weren't any, nothing other than an extensive list of the game's features, and a guide to the prices you can expect to pay for players.

When you have chosen your team (QPR, naturally!) you may then either change any other team names [Try changing QPR to Donkey - Ed] and then on to the main menu. The game is controlled by pressing the initial letter of the option you wish to use. The options are:

1. Play Match: get stuck in there, the moment of truth. Can your boys in the league do what they did in training? Only choose this when you are satisfied you have selected your strongest squad, as once you've kicked off you cannot make any other changes for ninety minutes. The match is shown with the two team's names written on screen, and the clock ticks away (a match takes ninety seconds). When someone scores, the goal and the scorer are shown under the team.
   
   After your match is finished, the other results from your division are shown, and then you wage bill and weekly news. The weekly news tells you if you made or lost money this week, if any players are injured, and evil bills you if there was any crowd trouble!
2. Check Match:
   This option allows you to size up your opponents, it tells you their league position, their formation, and the skill of their goalkeeper, defence, midfield and attack, so you can adjust your squad in order to wallop them!
3. Fixtures:
   This shows you a table of your previous results and the matches you have left to play in your thirty-eight game season.
4. Extra Training:
   This option allows you to give training to either the goalkeeper, defence, midfield or the attackers. This is in order to improve their skills. You can train them for any length of time between one to nine hours, but don't give them too long a s they may slack or even get injured.
5. Transfer Market:
   As you are given only half a million pounds to begin with, you ought to be very careful at the transfer market as the striker you buy could have excellent potential. Then again, he could be the next Alan Smith! Each player has a certain amount of skill between one and nine. You can expect to pay anything between £10,000 and £100,000 for a player and the inlay does give you a key to help yourself make successful bids.
6. Injuries/Goals:
   This gives you a run down of who is injured, how many goals have been scored, and how many the 'keeper has conceded in your squad.
7. Bank:
   As in life itself you can obtain a company loan, but as in life itself it is a very small one with a very large rate of interest. You can also obtain a mortgage should you wish to build a new stand.
8. Gamble:
   This tempting option allows you to bet that your team will win the league title, F.A. or League (Littlewoods) Cup, or for the less extravagant of you just to simply gain promotion. You can bet anything up to £100,000.
9. Employees:
   At this option you can hite a coach, physio, and a team scout, all of which are fairly necessary. You can also hire a youth team manager which, at £2,000 a week, may seem rather expensive, but every so often a promising young lad qualifies to the ranks of the big boys.
10. Shares:
    Every football director is a bit of a capitalist - some more than others (Yes, you Mr. Bulstode!). Watch your share prices rise and fall, and decide when to sell or buy, but take my advice - don't sell to Marler Estates!
11. Insure:
    I like this. Should any of your players get injured, and you have taken out a policy, you're in the readies for a while.
12. Build Stand:
    Why not do just that? Naturally, it costs.
13. Postponements:
    Simply tells you if there are any.
14. Level:
    This is a nasty one. There are three levels: easy, normal and hard. With normal, you can choose which level you wish to start on, but the nasty evil, wicked, twisted programming team have been extremely cunning and taught the computer to put you up a level if you are playing too well, and won't allow you to turn it down.

I don't wish to sound like a wimp with sour grapes bt this is indeed a bitch! If you are bottom of the league and getting thoroughly beaten then you are permitted to continue getting slaughtered on easy level. But then should you start playing half decently it's on to the next level you go which means you'll fly down to the bottom of the league. I've had words with the programmer and I am informed that you must have the perfect blend of players for each division, not too good to be moved up a level and not useless so they don't lose even on level one, all I know is I haven't found the correct formula!

Football Director is an extremely competent simulation/football strategy game. It has the correct blend of speed, realism and playability not to be found on any other game of this type since Football Manager (which I confess I am thoroughly sick off) and for this reason if it is better than the old Addictive classic.

It is a rather tricky game but sheer patience will soon overcome this. The C64 needs good football games like Bristol City need good players [Oi! - Ed] and this is one.