Championship Manager 4 - PC review

15 December 2003 16:39 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Championship Manager 4 is the latest in the long line of football sims to come out of the Eidos / SI Games doors and followers of the ever popular series will not be disappointed.

With over 200,000 players and staff across 39 national leagues footie fans will not be disenchanted with the level of detail once again obtained, in fact to some it might be slightly mind boggling.

New to the game are a number of features including a 2D match mode that allows you to watch the game unfold, giving you the chance to manage and change positions according when it comes to passing and shooting tactics. Plus greater emphasis has been placed on training, and the game gives you the chance to assign specific schedules. This of course gives you even more responsibility in making your players “match fit” for the season ahead of you and towards the end of the season what you do and don't do becomes crucial if you plan to get your boys promoted.

Other new addition include an enhanced contract negotiation system, a more efficient easier to use network play arena and for those who want it a skinnable interface.

Verdict

In short this is the most in-depth football sim you'll fine on the market to date. SI Games and Eidos have done well to carve a market so well for themselves that they are fast becoming untouchable. If you are a footie fan then this game is sure to make you loose plenty of sleep. And once again gives you the chance to have a go at managing your favourite team the way you've always wanted. The new features offer some great new elements and the addition of the 2D match engine is a nice touch that might distract some of the hardcore stat fanatics that rush to buy this title everytime. If your not into football then this really won't be your cup of tea. But then again if you not into football, you won't be reading this review anyway.

That market is worth so much that SI Games are bringing out their own Football Manager range while Eidos keeps the CM brand. So next year we'll be looking at two titles duking it out and the winners should hopefully be the fans.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Eidos
Price as reviewed: £25
The good: As addictive as ever, worldwide
The bad: Shouldn’t have taken 5 patches to fix 500 bugs
Quick verdict: In short this is the most in-depth football sim you’ll fine on the market
Score
Winner