After years working in a Tyneside cardboard packing factory my Uncle was promoted. Did this make him a boxing manager? [That's a rubbish joke, James. Shut up forever - Ed]

Um, yes, anyway, here's a boxing management game with the odd exciting bit thrown in. You get to train your boy, look after the financial side of things and make sure he's got a load of lucrative fights lined up.

The fun doesn't stop there. You can actually take control of your man in the fight. Using a joystick, you can put together combinations of blocks, low strikes, guards and the classic 'very-hard-face-punch' itself. There are two meters which measure the fitness levels of the boxers. Every smack depletes the energy levels, while every lull in the fighting gives them a chance to build back up. There are three rounds and, if you do well, you can win on points. If you do really well, you can even knock out the other guy.

So guess what? It's really rather good. The management and training sections are pretty standard; certainly no worse than other games. But the boxing bits lift Boxing Manager 2 that bit higher. Sure, we're not talking about a high-class, whizzy graphics fight simulator but they're a lot better better than you'd expect in this type of game. And if you don't like using the joystick for the fighting bits, there's an option to just play the management game and let the fights sort themselves out in front of your eyes.

As with most games of this sort there are strength and stamina ratings for all the participants. You have to assess the calibre of your opponents before selecting a bloke to take on. Slowly you should be able to work your way up through the world rankings.

The fighting itself is pretty simple. You have four basic moves, and only two particularly effective punches. This limits the number of moves you can try in the fights. You must also remember that the boxers are graded on how they perform throughout each bout; you might come out with a higher strength rating at the end of the round, but be marked down because you had your face well and truly punched earlier on. If you're really determined to take that World Heavyweight title, it's probably best to let the computer handle the fighting and concentrate on getting the skills and fitness of your guy as high as possible.

There are three skill levels, options to change the names of everybody involved, titles to win and loads of other details. The game runs as fast as a stoat in a hurry, too. All this is good news for management games, because, let's face it, they haven't got a reputation which puts them up with the Creatures 2s of this world.

Boxing Manager 2 is a good bit of pugilistic enjoyment. The fight sequences aren't bad and the rest of the game fairly engrossing. It is primarily a management game, though, so don't expect a cross between Street Fighter II and Sim City.

1. Loads of detail on every aspect of the boxing world.
2. You can customise your boxers, manager/trainer's and opponents' names.
3. There are three skill levels.
4. The computer can do the actual fighting for you if you don't want to bother.
5. It's faster than many similar games, and thankfully doesn't store up keypresses.
6. It's great to see graphics in a game like this!

1. Taking control of the boxer during fights isn't as much fun as it looks.
2. It's tough, even on easy levels.
3. The joystick isn't used during the menu selection sequences.