Football Manager 2007 is the video game equivalent to cocaine. It’s one of the most addicting games I’ve ever played. For that reason, I’ve stopped playing it because once you get going, it’s damn near impossible to put down. It may not be for the casual fan because of it’s depth and attention to detail but for diehard soccer fans, it’s a must buy.

You start the game with the option to serve as coach for nearly any club team in the world. And when I say any, I mean any. Players can choose a club team from 51 countries. Within each country, players can choose any league within that country. Within that league, they can manage any team. If you want to manage Manchester United from the Premier League, that’s perfectly fine. But if you want more of a challenge, try to bring Silkeborg from the Danish 2nd Division to Champions League glory. All in all, the game database contains about 3,000 teams and 300,000 players.

As manager, you control every single element of your team. You control your A team, B team, and your youth team and decide when it’s appropriate to give a young player a shot playing with the senior squad. You also must set training schedules that keep your team’s stamina and morale in good shape. Throughout the week of a game, you’ll receive injury news and other news around the league in your inbox. The coaching duties include far more than the expected lineup setting, formations, and opponent scouting. You must also give team talks before and during games, ensuring that your team has chemistry.

Because of the enormous database of players, you’re allowed to scout and sign any player in the world. Whether it’s the young player you saw in a recent real-life game or a veteran scrub that will fill a spot on the bench, you can get anybody. However, you can’t wreak havoc on the transfer market like you can in a FIFA or Winning Eleven Game. You’re confined to a strict budget that’s based on how well your team does. If a team doesn’t budge on a player, you can offer incentives based on appearances, goals, or simply try to negotiate a free loan instead of a full-on transfer.

The game can go on for years and years. You have the ability to qualify for either the UEFA Cup or Champions League as well as competing in the regular domestic league. If you do well managing your current team, other teams will try to lure you to their team in the offseason, offering a better league and bigger budget in the process. You can also get calls to coach the national team at international competitions like the World Cup and European Championships.

While the game is phenomenal, I can still find a couple of things to gripe about. While your game is playing, you aren’t controlling the players ala FIFA or Winning Eleven. You’re watching them move around and play (as small colored circles), while making coaching decisions on the fly. You can fast forward the game to be very quick or if you’re a loser, you can watch your colored circles run around on the field for the full 90 minutes. It’s your call. The game’s massive database can also lead to slowdowns. My friends and I all have experienced lag because of the size of the game but it’s not a big deal.

This game definitely isn’t for everyone. It’s hard to figure out and even harder to master. But it’s very addicting and lots of fun because you control everything. If you’re a a knowledgeable enough fan to know what you’re doing and if you don’t have ADD, you can play this game for a long, long time. I’d reccommend it for die-hards but not the standard casual fan. If you like soccer but don’t want to control every aspect of your team, you’re better off sticking with FIFA or Winning Eleven.

Snag a copy over at Amazon here.

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5