Championship Manager 5

Do you think you could make the most of Abramovich's millions? Have you always dreamt of taking your non-league team to European glory? Now you can with the return of the world champion of football management games – Championship Manager 5.

Championship Manager 5 is the latest instalment in the No.1 selling football management series. The game delivers a whole host of key improvements aimed to bring you even closer to the touchline. For the first time ever in the series, Championship Manager 5 introduces "constant gameplay" - the ability to interact with the game at all times. Even while the game processes you can tweak your training regime or check out a scouting report so you are always in the action. A new and improved user-interface, more objective data supplied by PFS (Professional Football System) who provide information to clubs and managers around the world, a greater choice of tactics, a more comprehensive scouting system, and minimal loading times will make Championship Manager 5 the greatest version yet.

To further ensure that Championship Manager 5 delivers the ultimate in realism and accuracy, Charlton Athletic's 1st Team Coach Mervyn Day has been recruited to act as consultant on the game. Day is one of the most respected coaches in football, and one of only a handful of people to hold a UEFA Pro-License. Working closely with Beautiful Game Studios, Day has developed a new user-friendly training mode, devising routines and drills as used by top professionals. Day's insider knowledge has also given access to the thought processes of real-life managers and coaches, both in the day-to-day management of the club and players, as well as in match situations.

Features:

NEED FOR SPEED – Sick of having to put the kettle on between matches? Championship Manager 5 provides a much faster gaming experience with massively reduced loading times and 'constant gameplay'. Championship Manager 5 does not lock the front-end as it processes, therefore allowing you to access all screens as the matches resolve so you can simultaneously tweak your training regime or check out scouting reports.

ACCESSIBILITY – A new and improved user-interface will makes navigation much easier. Transitions between screens will be more straightforward with explanations of what info is displayed and how to get associated info. A selection of 'skins' will also be available.

STAT ATTACK – Championship Manager 5 takes a more specialised approach by combining a variety of data sources to ensure accuracy and impartiality. As well as fan scouts and a team of internal researches, Championship Manager 5 uses data supplied by PFS (Professional Football System), a long-standing agency who provide information to clubs and managers around the world. Player stats are now presented as a percentage out of 100 to better reflect attributes and improvements.

ACCURATE DATA – Championship Manager 5 will contain up-to-date data for the 2004/2005 season and the latest competition rules.

THE BIG MATCH – A whole host of improvements to the 2D match engine. For the first time ever Championship Manager 5 offers a tilted match perspective enabling managers to judge the height of the ball, and a wider choice of match speeds, including the full 90 minutes (as opposed to the truncated 64 mins of CM 03/04).

IT'S TRAINING MEN – More user-friendly and effective training module devised in conjunction with Charlton 1st Team Coach Mervyn Day.

TACTICAL GENIUS – Improved tactics screen that as well as adding arrows for players to make runs, lets managers instructs players where to play the ball.

ZONING IN ON THE ACTION - 'Action Zone' screen splits the pitch into 9 zones (3 in CM 03/04) thus providing greater feedback on where the match action is taking place and how possession is being shared between the teams in each zone. This allows for more informed decision making on tactics, player selection, substitutions and training.

SEARCH FOR A STAR – More comprehensive scouting system enabling searches for specific 'player types' to be carried out.

SEAL THE DEAL – A fully realistic transfer model is being employed, encompassing an array of factors including finances, reputation and player personalities. To lure the likes of Ronaldo and Zidane you will first have to establish yourself.