3 October 2006 11:00 GMT / By Chris Pickering

When it comes to console football management games, there’s never been a clear leader.

A bit like the current West Ham set up, we’ve never been able to tell who’s the gaffer. Was it EA’s raft of titles? Or maybe those Premier Manager Mega Drive games?

Recently Codemasters’ LMA Manager games have topped the league. But with Sports Interactive bringing their much adored series to the Xbox360 later this year, the LMA mob need to stick one in the back of the net this time round. Brian.

Football Manager fanatics need to make some serious tactical changes to triumph on the LMA turf.

For starters, the great looking interface relies on graphics rather than the reams of text you’ll be used to. But a quick tap of the shoulder buttons and you’ll soon be selling off your dross and training rising stars. So that’s 1-0 to Codemasters.

It’s a pity this is the only highlight of the match. First off, player stats are often very odd. Any Wednesday fan can tell you that right back Frankie Simek – formerly of Arsenal – is a cracking full back, but in LMA his legs have been swapped with a pair of over ripe mangos.

OK, so you can update all stats via Xbox Live, but Codemasters needs to give them a thorough going over.

Match days are not much better. You’ll find yourself hurling hot cups of Bovril at the screen as months of careful scouting and tactical tweaks are flushed down the foulest bog in the Championship. And all because your hard man centre midfielder in the Roy Keane mould decides to run away rather than get his new boots muddy.

It’s these kind of incidents that’ll have you calling for the programmer’s head. We say sack the board!

Verdict

If you can bear these moments of madness, you’ll still get a lot out of LMA. You’ll still be gripped by football fervour as your team climbs the league.

Yer pays your money and yer takes yer choice. Though we say wait for the next instalment of Football Manager as it’s shaping up to be a corker.

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Review Recap

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codemasters

Price as reviewed

£35

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The good

It all looks swish, the interface has been honed over the years, and is now an absolute dream, up-to-date stats thanks to the Xbox Live download system

The bad

Match engine a travesty, horrible AI, it’s just not Football Manager

Quick verdict

Yer pays your money and yer takes yer choice. Though we say wait for the next instalment of Football Manager as it’s shaping up to be a corker

Score

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