Championship Manager 2010

As well as scouting individual players you can channel investment into a worldwide scouting network. With a simple-to-use map you can select any country and invest in talent spotting within that region. The more you invest the more gems you can uncover, though as I soon came to realise there are no guarantees you'll find the next Zidane.

While this new feature may not be earth-shattering, it certainly has the potential to be the best scouting system the genre has ever seen. Once you identify a target you can make a bid (negotiations appear to be far more flexible than they were in CM08) and the papers will pounce on the story. You can find this in the all-new media page that provides bespoke reports that keep you informed of the latest football-related happenings from across the globe.

Of course the true test of any management game is on the pitch and thankfully it's looking as though CM10 has also made some major strides in this department. The progress that Beautiful Game Studios has made since the unimpressive bowling pin-style players of CM08 is promising. The pitch now stretches across your screen while the animated, 3D players can be viewed from a cornucopia of camera angles and distances.

Variable weather effects and numerous stadiums, ranging from towering edifices to a few makeshift stands housing two men and their dogs, provide matches with greater context and believability. The revamped match day set-up is shaping up to be a far deeper, immersive and more atmospheric experience than in CM08.

Match action also displayed plenty of improvements on just about every level. Players trapped the ball and made space while their team mates ran into intelligent positions. Skilful players took on their markers then whipped in crosses or unleashed searing shots, leading to some spectacular strikes. That said there were a few too many comical defensive errors for comfort, and these definitely need to be sorted before release.

There were also a few bizarre moments that also require attention before the final code ships, like players hoofing the ball into row Z for no apparent reason, the action occasionally jamming as the players refused to take a throw-in and a few lighting and shadow issues. However, if BGS can solve these problems, there's enough evidence to suggest the new match engine could represent a major step forward for the series.

Once matches are over you're given the option to minutely analyse your players' performances with the streamlined ProZone tool. As was the case with CM08, this feature will probably appeal more to serious management game aficionados than to casual management fans. However, the good news is that ProZone is looking as though it'll actually be useful this time as matches are shaping up to be far less one-sided and much more tactical affairs than in BGS's previous offering.

If this playtest proved anything, it's that CM10 could be the single biggest and most innovative step the CM series has taken since BGS took over the development reins. Granted, the tested code was still a little rough around the edges, but if the irks and glitches can be sufficiently cleared up before release we could finally find ourselves with a genuine two-horse race for the football management crown.