Football Manager 2007, from the early preview build we've played, is a terrific game. It's built with real care to detail, certainly has one or two problems, and it might all go wrong between the time of writing and when it's released (we'll have a review soon), but we seriously doubt it. We'd challenge most football management enthusiasts to try to resist its charms and appeal.

Meanwhile, resisting the charms of the Championship Manager series, since Eidos handed development over to a new team, has been an easy job. Not because the last two Championship Manager games have been awful - we actually had moments with the last one - but more because they're so far behind the game they're blatantly trying to catch.

There'll be no reversing of that trend with the new 2007 edition, but again, it's not without its moments. We should deal with the headline feature first: the inclusion of ProZone statistics, to add an extra layer of authentic detail. They don't really, though. Nice to look at, granted, but there's little there that will convince you they have much effect on the game itself, unless you're the kind of obsessive who must analyse everything down to the Nth degree.

Get the latest Dell Coupons and other computer coupons at CheapStingyBargains.com.

You do get a lot of analysis of how each player has performed at the end of a match, but along with the newly-introduced team talks (which Football Manager has been offering for a while now), they don't seem to change or impact the outcome of a game very much.

Aside from that, it's pretty much business as usual. The new developers have tried desperately to capture the detail, the immersion and the life-sapping addictive qualities that have now moved onto the Football Manager game, and they're still some distance away.

However, don't dismiss what they have delivered. If you find the exhaustive level of detail of Football Manager overwhelming, and are looking for a slightly simplified, almost toned-down version that's a good couple of years behind it, then Championship Manager 2007 has a role to play.

Its interface has improved, although - ProZone excepted - it still feels like it lacks ideas and identity of its own. While we didn't warm particularly to LMA Manager 2007, it did at least have an angle and a genuine distinction in the way it presented match day material. Championship Manager 2007, however, is content to rely on what's been tried and tested over the best part of a decade.

But that's actually its strongest card. Think of it as a compilation album of ideas that have been built up over a period of time, put together competently (albeit lacking the tightness of the original material) and at a reasonably attractive price, and you pretty much have your review. It's easy to use, is quite entertaining to play, but isn't much of a match for the real thing.

A middle of the road football management sim which is gradually getting better, but has a lot of ground to make up.