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Yaaaaaaawn. Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against football - there's just something implicitly boring about management games of this type. Player Manager is the exception to the rule, firstly because it's so excellent and secondly because you got to play Kick Off with it, which made it doubly excellent.

When faced with something like this though, it's difficult to imagine anybody but the most desperate sort of gamer, or die-hard footy fan, actually getting any enjoyment out of it whatsoever.

Technically of course, there's nothing to fault it, and the depth that the game goes into is commendable - you've got your league and cup trophies, financial problems, player injuries, team tactics, talent scouts, stadium management and all the rest of it. On the aesthetic side, however, nothing much seems to have changed since the days when these games were prevalent on the Spectrum about three or four years ago.

These days, however, the cheapo graphics and sound just don't cut it any more, so when something like this comes along it seems like a bit of an embarrassment really. But, of course, it's the gameplay that counts and for what it is, Football Director is entertaining enough, and providing you're not expecting too much and willing to give the game some time, it should pay off handsomely. The wiser members of the computerised football management fraternity will probably want to save their pennies for Player Manager 2, however.