Football Manager 2011

Football Manager 2011 is a great game that has something for fans both old and new. If you've been skipping iterations because of fatigue, this one is a good place to start afresh. Having the team blend and match preparation elements at the fore makes FM 2011 more accessible, and players of all abilities benefit immensely from the increased transparency. New contract negotiations make the act of signing a player more interesting, and money-grabbing agents disgust you as much in-game as they do in real life.

More important than all the above is the fact that Football Manager 2011 is a huge time sink that will keep you playing for hours on end for months to come. There has often been an argument for add-ons to the previous year's version, simply fixing a few things and updating stats, but this year Sports Interactive has made a game that feels like the most essential for a very long time. Being a manager has never been so realistic or as much fun.

The sum of FM 2011's parts is the most organic but more importantly, most believable man- and team-management experience the series has provided. Don't be expecting perfection, because you won't find it – but even if you own last year's version you should seriously consider investing in this follow-up, a recommendation I certainly don't make every year. And if you've been holding off purchasing a Football Manager game for the last few years, then this is the year to get back in the game.