Sticking a boot in

Sega and Sports Interactive have a goal - to create the most compelling portable football management title ever. Have they scored a winner with Football Manager Handheld 2009?

Football management titles are common on home computers, less so on handhelds. There are thousands of footballers with their own history, personalities, match statistics and more to take into account, let alone the football clubs themselves, each with a wealth of information to express before throwing all of this data into the blender for each match that plays out. It's a massive task... and Sports Interactive has stepped up to the spot once again to take the challenge with Football Manager Handheld 2009.

Small time Charlie  

Whether you have experience with it or not, football management is hard work. Which is exactly why Sports Interactive makes it handheld in essence, as well as in name. Picking your favourite club from a selection of ten European nations (including England, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal), you're put in charge of a squad seeking sports glory, taking the big elements of real life management and paring it down into something a bit more... manageable.

You'll never once take to the pitch yourself, as there's plenty to deal with when considering the range of superstars and starlets that can be the key to success or the weight that drags you into an unpleasant meeting with the Chairman of the Board and possible unemployment. Players need to fit within your formations and tactics (such as an attacking 4-4-2 or even your own custom line-up) with passing style, tackling aggression, attacking/defending emphasis and other factors to take into account.

Because each player has his own personality with specific aims, preferences and bias, it's not as simple as just picking your strategy and going into a match. They may not like playing in a certain position, or sometimes they don't get on with teammates, leading to training ground friction; or maybe they just want to leave the club because they don't think you're good for the job.

This is football

It's these little details which add up to a lot in FMH09. Decisions make or break you. Taking time out to praise your star player may seem like a good idea, until you realise he don't like the spotlight of public adoration and would have preferred a private word instead. Likewise, leaving someone on the subs bench for too long could have him slapping a transfer request on your desk the following morning.

While keeping the players happy is essential, their desires could put you in conflict with the Board, so it's a delicate balancing act and part of the compulsion of the game. Each choice has a consequence that may come have a positive or negative effect over an indeterminate period of time, and it's the unpredictability and stark realism that makes Football Manager what it is.

In the actual matches themselves the key component lies within the commentary, which gives you a number of clues as to the mental state of the players, along with a wealth of stats to gauge their performance. Complimented by a 2D viewpoint which shows the action during important moments, it's easy to get absorbed in your team's on-pitch fortunes, be it jubilation when you see a ball bounce in off the post for a goal or head hanging despair when you watch your defence crumble.

A permanent fixture

Football Manager Handheld 2009 absorbs your time in small chunks, dragging you back with its blend of detail, compulsive gameplay and portability to play. The excitement of watching your team come together, putting in transfer bids for big stars that could be the solution to your woes, and the air punching joy of getting it right is a vital part of the game's charm.

Addictive football wherever you go? Sounds like a match winner - and that's exactly what Sega and Sports Interactive have on their hands. And now, you can have it in yours too.