The player takes over a club, frequently halfway through a season, and have to change their fortunes in some way by completing an objective. It's ideally pitched at the gamer with limited time on their hands and wanting a change of pace. No team talks is also limiting for the power hungry manager.įixing such uncertainities is that of the new Challenge mode, however. For instance, while new formations can be created before a match begins and very easily with a swipe of a finger, players can't adjust quite so readily midway through a match, instead having to revert to a previously saved tactic. Spectating matches is cut back somewhat compared to the PC incarnation but it's not too heavily to the detriment of the game, although at times I did feel my level of control was limited. It'd be easy to make such involved interactions feel clumsy but there's no sign of that here. The user interface behind Football Manager Handheld 2012 is simple yet effective, offering intuitive touch and drag controls alongside intuitive touches, too.

Such omissions for the most part make for a more streamlined experience - ideal for short play sessions as is expected with a portable device. On the iPhone or iPad, it's a similarly detailed experience despite a few handy features being omitted such as half time team talks. On the PC, it's a gripping and in-depth management simulation that continues to add more and more features as the year goes by. I say wasted, but it's actually a fantastically enjoyable way for soccer fans to spend their spare time. The Football Manager series of games have been responsible for countless 'wasted' hours of free time.

Download football manager handheld 2012