Welcome to the latest edition of this long-running, life-engulfing series that will immerse you so deeply into its gaming world that you may never resurface again. Even if you don't particularly like football (Confession 1) and you've never played a Championship Manager game before (Confession 2), you'll still find yourself sucked into the compelling world of football management.

Championship Manager is known as the definitive management simulation and you will quickly see why - the amount of information, statistics and detail available is quite simply mind-blowing. Everything a manager can do in real life, you can do here. The game consists of two main areas: buying and selling players and selecting the line-up for a match. You can use as much or as little information as you like in making your decisions and although it might be tempting to put in eight hours of careful research before making a decision, there is a balance to find as extensive deliberation doesn't guarantee success on the pitch.

Every football player in every major team across the world is represented here and with a whole range of scored stats, from obvious ones like speed to more obscure ones like bravery. It's important to check the form, condition and morale of players when making match selections as these have a large bearing on their performance. You can view a whole range of statistics on the players in table form for easy comparison with various filters available for ease of use. Sometimes a player is concerned about their future at the club and you must respond and then follow up on your promises. Also, take notice of what players think of their team mates as your team will be strongest when populated with players that complement each other. You can view extensive information for any player on any team, making your decision to approach a player for purchase or loan as well informed as possible.

As manager, the pressure is on you to make a success of the team - every win gets a pat on the back and every loss gets you nearer the sack. The key to this game's success is that your choices always have consequences and the more you play, the better you become at knowing how changing tactics or making substitutions will affect the current match. It's so satisfying to make some changes after a poor first half and get a couple of goals in the second. You won't be able to stop that smug smile breaking across your face. Equally, you'll be angry with yourself for getting it wrong - as will the board and the fans, both of whom you must respond to after a defeat.

The world of football is completely recreated and each day various other matches are played out in an instant and results determined by the game's engine that works tirelessly behind the scenes. Sometimes you'll lose players temporarily as they are called away to play for their national team. You're told of this and other news including injuries and recoveries through news bulletins, as well as notable events to do with other clubs.

The football matches are by far the most exciting part of the game. This is where all your hard work comes to fruition or ends in failure. You can set the match speed but the default is a good pace, it'll play out within 20 minutes giving you get a blow by blow account of exciting moments, good plays and goals in the form of brief descriptions flashing up on the screen - almost like listening to a radio commentary. You quickly get to know the style of your players and can become very excited when your best striker gets hold of the ball and begins a run towards goal. The crowd cheers in the background and goes wild when a goal is scored, as does your controller's vibration pack! You'll cheer along with the crowd when you score, but if it's the opposition's goal then you get that sad, sinking feeling and wonder where you went wrong.

The game translates well to Xbox, retaining a point and click system with your controller's joystick moving the cursor. The left and right triggers are used as a middle mouse button to scroll up and down and it's an easy system to use, if a little more clumsy than keyboard and mouse. You can set your own soundtracks playing during the game too, which saves you having to keep changing the CD in your stereo! The front end is pretty user-friendly and there weren't many occasions when I had to read the manual. Although it is initially very daunting and perhaps a little inaccessible, purely due to the nature of the game and the overwhelming amounts of information on hand, soon enough you'll feel as though you've been playing it for years. Just keep an eye on the time, or maybe you'll look up and suddenly realise that you have been playing it for years!

Championship Manager 02/03 is a comprehensive and compelling football management sim that continues to rule the genre. With an incredible range of information, statistics and detail plus an exciting front end for watching matches, this proves to be a highly enjoyable and unbelievably addictive game.

Reviewed by Geoff Holland for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).