Ultimate Soccer Manager 98-99

This is a great game and it was one of the first I bought for my dear old PC which now coughs and splutters like my granddad! It takes some of the bits of Championship Manager and mixes them with other soccer management simulators to give a good all rounded effect. You take control of everything from players to sponsorship and the stadium, which is a nice touch compared to many other games where you are restricted by the board.

Not the most realistic of games as it is very easy to win, but there are some nice touches such as the ability to offer bungs, which was of course hugely in the news at the time due to the George Graham et al scandal.
One of the best strategies is to take a team from the Conference and build them into a worlds class side – my favourite was Dover Athletic as they had probably the worst squad and least money so was the biggest challenge. Some players can be trained up to world class if you leave them out of the team for long enough and make their training intensive enough.
Many hours of fun, though it does tend to become a bit tedious after a while. It also goes into a few things in a bit too much unnecessary detail. For example tweaking prices of merchandise, drinks, programmers and pretty much anything else your club shop or burger van is ever likely to sell is quite a long job, and you then need to do this at the beginning of every season. However if you have ever been fed up by your favourite 3rd division side’s club shop selling very little at extortionate prices then you might find this refreshing! Also players get bored of training schedules but by changing just one little detail you can make them happy again.
Although, it’s a nice game, which features quite heavily on the “make it look pretty” aspect rather than the hugely complex game engines of some of its more illustrious competitors. Definitely recommended after about 5 seasons you will get bored and wish for something a little more challenging like some of the later Championship Manager games. You will put your life on hold though for a while so be warned – turn off your phone, lock the door, get a few beers in and enjoy a hot date with Ultimate Soccer Manager 98-99!