CM3 Review by Gamespot

Honestly who'd want to be a football manager with the pressures of today's modern game? With a bunch of overpaid multi-millionaire prima donnas out on the park, huge expectations from the directors and fans, the tabloids watching your every move and every single match hyped to the zillionth degree, the life of the modern soccer supremo must be sheer hell - talk about a poisoned chalice.

Well judging by the sales of managerial soccer titles, thousands of us wouldn't think twice about grasping the nettle and in spite of the pitfalls of life in the big leagues, we'd positively leap at the chance to sit in the hottest of hot seats and show them a thing or two about how the game should be played.

Unfortunately, the closest most of us are likely to get to a Premiership post is on a computer screen and Sport Interactive's Championship Manager series has always been one of the finest ways to satisfy our unfulfilled managerial cravings. Already a renowned footballing dynasty, the latest incarnation of the best-selling series, Championship Manager 3, has, after a short delay finally arrived and it's no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most highly anticipated debuts of this current season.

Champ Man has always relied on an ultra intensive, stat driven approach to model the world of football and fans will pleased to hear that Champ Man 3 plays to the series' existing strengths whilst adding a wealth of new options and an almost frightening degree of depth to the existing game. The first major development is a huge explosion in the number leagues and players contained in the database, which now allows runs fifteen major national leagues simultaneously as well as all domestic, international and world cup competitions. As well as significantly raising the scope of the game by allowing you to move your career through all of soccer's premier divisions, the ability to slot in future add-ons and updates is a welcome bonus and means that CM3 can now realistically lay claim to being one of the most comprehensive simulations of world football ever.

Out on the pitch , CM3 has certainly upped its game with a brand new real-time match engine which now plays out every single move made during the match sequence. Presentation is via the usual radio style commentary, but the addition of even more performance indicators and match analysis means the level of feedback and response has definitely improved, making it easier to direct the overall performance of your team, as well as controlling individual players, which certainly results in a much more realistic big match experience.

The tactical nature of the football wasn't really covered in too much depth in Championship Manager 2, but CM3's new tactical system is absolutely first-class, using a grid-based system to map the pitch and allowing you to precisely position your players for every footballing contingency. Fancy playing with attacking wing-backs? A flat back four? A continental Libero system? CM3 can accommodate them all with a huge variety of pre-defined tactics and an intuitive editor which makes it easy to create your own custom formations and playing style.

While the in-game action is certainly sharper, off the park, CM3 has also certainly polished up its act. A new training system allows you to hone your squad, by creating custom training regimes for individuals and squads and one of the most important aspects of your managerial responsibilities, the buying and selling of players has been totally revamped (see boxout) with a new scouting system introducing a much more authentic feel to the international transfer market. Other improvements include a refined interface, which is now more intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate through the managerial minefield and track down the information which is relevant to your club's success. And of course there's statistics: more stats for your players (now up to 25 from 18 in the previous version, more managerial stats, more stats for the coaches and scouts and even stats for the officials, plus full player histories and club data from past seasons. All in all, it amounts to a breathtaking and almost overwhelming amount of depth, but then, that's exactly how serious football fanatics like it.

I suppose if you'd never seen Champ Man series before, you might take a quick glance at this game and wonder what all the fuss is about. On the surface at least, CM3 doesn't look particularly exciting or innovative and of course the ultra-intensive, stat driven, non-graphical nature of the beast means it's not even going to be to every football fan's taste.

However don't be so readily deceived, because lurking underneath CM3's slightly plain exterior, lies solid gameplay, a staggering degree of depth and a totally authentic and almost obsessive (in the best sense) managerial experience. Of its type and it's pretty much in a field of one anyway despite the huge number of rival soccer titles, CM 3 offers an absolutely fantastic and utterly compelling managerial experience and if you like your football intensely hardcore, then Champ Man 3 will undoubtedly be your weapon of choice this season.

Source: Gamespot UK