If there's one thing I hate, it's having to find new and interesting things to say about football management games. The most enthusiastic I've ever been about such a game was when On The Ball arrived from Daze, simply because there was actually quite a lot to tell that hadn't been seen before.

Super League Manager is, however, much the same as the average footy management sim, with four fictional leagues to compete in (with you, obviously, starting at the bottom of the bottom).

Taking up the prestigious position as manager of Folkford, your duties include watching over your team's training schedules (on both a team and individual scale), and keeping an eye on the transfer market. You must also scan the local newspapers to keep abreast of the latest gossip, and (this is the biggy) water your office plants (well, if you can't keep an azalea, what chance does your team stand?)

The accompanying literature states that Super League Manager is "the first role-playing soccer management game," and rather than playing against the computer, you're actually competing against 31 other managers, some good, some bad, Unfortunately, no matter how good you are as a manager, you're ultimately relying upon your teams' kills and player personalities.

All you can do is get together a good squad, train them efficiently, pick the best side on the day, and persuade them to give their all.

As the days roll by, your main contact with the outside world comes via the office phone, so don't be surprised if the chairman calls to moan about poor performances, the trainer wants to organise schedules, and even individual players hassle to be put in the side or push for more money. Also, each day your secretary will pass a certain amount of post through to you, and by checking your in-tray, you can choose to deal with fans' requests for things such as signed photos, read fans' suggestions for your team (a nice little hint system for beginners) and even deal with hate mail!

Hmm... Well I'm sorry, but Super League Manager is in for a fair slap simply because; as far as I'm concerned, I reviewed this bit of software back in November when Audiogenic sent in Rugby League Coach. Apart from having a slight change in angle, the 'desk scene' is almost identical.

There's the same slurp when you drink your tea, and the same weird voice on the phone. When dealing with fans' requests, we're talking about one hundred percent duplication from Rugby League Coach, and apart from the interesting option to watch and sometimes play the 'Match of the Day', the game really offers nothing new other than the fact it's football and not rugby.

As I always like to point out with any sports management game, the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it. And though my enthusiasm started to weaken after about three hours, if you can be bothered to get to know the dual players and their various quirks intimately, you'll stand a much better chance of getting their training programmes spot on, and therefore more out of their play.

Apart from the lack of progression from the previous product (which, I admit, probably won't be too important to you if you haven't seen Rugby League Coach) Super League Manager also suffers from a lack of involvement when it comes to the matches themselves. Whereas most modern management games have found ways to make these interesting (e.g. Premier Manager 2 & 3, and On The Ball) Super League Manager just plods along, offering you the odd static screen.

A couple of years ago, this would have passed as a good management simulation, but following such acts as the aforementioned Premier Manager and On The Ball, I think you need a little more than this to make an impression these days. Super League Manager is kind of quirky, and often interesting, but doesn't really offer enough to warrant a recommendation, especially as there are so many other excellent footy management games around. As I've already said about eight times.

The CD32 version will be released at around the same time as the A1200 version. The A500/600 version has been designed to link up with Audiogenic's Emlyn Hughes International Soccer which is available free with a registration card from the packaging. A nice gesture, Mr. Audiogenic!