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GAME REVIEWED: Premier Manager '98

RELEASED BY: Gremlin

PRICE: £34.99

REVIEWED BY: Kelly

REVIEW: -

Premier Manager '98 contains all the 97/98 English Division team and player information with statistics on over 2,700 players. There is full match and team tactical options, formations, playing styles and marking systems included. There is also the opportunity to buy Europe's top players via the European transfer market and full scouting network.

if you are successful in any of the domestic competitions then you are presented the opportunity to put your finest team against Europe's finest competitors. It is a lot like the real-life Champions League - apart from the name due to licensing restrictions - and includes all the top sides like Juventus, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona and lots more. Although these teams don't participate in their own regional leagues, they are fully-stuffed, genuine teams. The big disappointment it the inclusion of only one Scottish team, Glasgow Rangers (yippee!) and the exclusion of all the other teams in the Scottish League. everybody knows that they are not that good, but it would be good to see the likes of Dunfermline or St. Johnstone in the game, especially for us Scots.

If you earn enough cash you are able to tempt some of the top stars in Europe to your club. To do this you have to offer them a good wage via the contract negotiation option. To earn the money you either have to sell players or put the ticket price up, but don't put it up too high or no-one will turn up for your home games.

You don't get to see the game as it is played, but you can watch the screen with your teams line-up and your opposition and the clock running to ninety minutes and then injury time. The clock doesn't stop for half time but if anything interesting occurs it will come up on the screen on the side which corresponds to what team it happened or didn't happen to, for example a goal, injury, yellow card or red card. You do get to see the highlights of each game you manage, if you wish to. the highlights were made using the Actua Soccer 2 game engine and also has commentary from Barry Davies.

Tactical options are limited with three options within four different areas. Your defence can be man-to-man, zonal or you can employ a sweeper. You can get the defence to tackle light, medium or hard, which really is a measure of how dirty you want to play. Your style of play can be either long ball, passing game or counter attack. And you can select whether your team plays defensive, orthodox or attacking football. There is only eight different formations to choose from also.

The best and only football management simulations of it's time, but someone had to produce a footie management sim because so many people liked this game genre but the Playstation lack a game of this genre. Not a bad start from Gremlin and at least it helps keep you occupied for a couple of days because it is so addictive but it's a bit to easy because you probably would end up winning everything in the first few days after purchase.

 

SCORE:

84%

LINKS: www.gremlin.com


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Last updated: March 12, 1999.