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It says on the box: "The only one good enough to be called Premier Manager." Hmm. Ever since the early days of computers such as the VIC-20 and the Spectrum, footy management games have almost without exception been similar in style. Text-based, number crunching dinosaurs which are about as much fun as typing your tax returns into a spreadsheet.

So what's different about Premier Manager? The answer to that is - presentation. Gremlin have gone for the recently trendy option of presenting everything via a set of icons, as with games such as Championship Manager and Leeds United, but this game is far more clearly presented than any previous game on the ST. The colours used are easy on the eye, and the game is very quick. The main screen of the game presents you with various icons, enabling you to access the many different areas of management.

Right from the start, it is apparent that Gremlin have left no stone unturned as far as detail is concerned - the word here is comprehensive. Without making the game too difficult to follow, every imaginable feature has been included, from transfer markets to club finances, from your managerial history to ground improvements. These options generally produce sub-menus, with a number of small icons which can be used to call up various aspects of footballing life.

You must start off the game by sorting out your internal affairs. As well as sorting out your staff, such as your coach and physio, you also need to look after your ground. This involves improving its safety, keeping your supporters' club happy, and selling advertising space to companies. The space is sold in batches of several weeks at a time for large amounts of money, so an eye must be kept on the advertising screen to make sure that no space is blank at any time.

The speed of play can be adjusted as required, from snail's pace to ultra-quick. If you intend to make some team changes during the match, however, it's not a good idea to zip through every game at high speed. If an incident occurs during the game which requires your attention - such as an injury to a player - the game is paused as it waits for your input.

The best feature, though, is the ability to adjust each players' skills individually, and not stick them into specific groups of midfield, defence or forward. This way, players can be tweaked - as in real life - to play in several roles, such as midfielders who can attack, and defends who can play as a sweeper. This is something that most management sims overlook so, well done, Gremlin.

There are, however, some features which could have been better. Although Gremlin have attempted to produce some in-game graphics, they haven't really done very well. Small icons show jerky stop-frame animations of the action, and the players wear the same coloured strip regardless of their team. The position of the ball in relation to the rest of the field is displayed using a pointer moving along a horizontal bar. This is pretty basic stuff given the power of your ST, and this area of the game could and should have been much improved - as should the sound effects. Also, strange and unrealistic fines are doled out at random intervals, seemingly for no reason whatsoever. This type of fine can hit at any time, and with no warning.

The game also bandies around ridiculous amounts of money - play begins in the GM Vauxhall Conference, and you're given a budget of £200,000 (and an overdraft of £300,000). This is far more money than most Conference managers are given, and the player values are similarly over-rated.

Grumbles aside, the main game is superb. It's safe to say that most people sitting down to play a footy manager game are going to have a certain amount of apathy, but after a couple of hours of solid play Premier Manager changes all that. Merely calling it addictive doesn't do the game justice - it's only when you look down at your watch and ten minutes has turned into four hours that you appreciate the quality of the game.

If you're a fan of a particular football team you probably recognise the feelings you get when your team is playing. Despair when you're losing, absolute elation when you're winning. The difference here is that, if you're losing, you can actually do something about it. Instead of shouting, "Don Howe, you're a crap coach" at the screen, you can sack him and hire someone else in his place. Every single aspect of the game is under your control, and this, combined with the excellent presentation, pushes every other footy sim on the market into the Sunday League.

Slick interface, comprehensive options and high speed make this an addictive game.

Small gripes include the money levels and silly fines.