Football Manager 2

• Title — Football Manager 2 • Border — yes • Developer — Addictive Games • Publisher — Addictive Games • Designer — Kevin Toms • Series — Football Manager • Platforms — Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, DOS • Released — 17 June 1988 • Genre — Sports video game • Modes — Single-player

• Illustration — Commodore 64 screenshot Gameplay is very similar to the first game, with mostly text based screens, although they are more colorful than the original and usually contain at least basic graphical elements. Input is mostly by moving a cursor (using either joystick or mouse depending on system) rather than entering numbers. The game again starts the player, whichever team is chosen, in division four with a random allocation of players and the player must attempt to gain promotion to division one but now, as well as the FA Cup, the player can also compete in the League Cup to eventually attempt to win the treble. Added features include team sponsorship, a training screen which allows the choice of long or short passing tactics, and the ability to place your players in positions on the pitch. This is done by moving boxes representing your players on a graphical screen while comparing individual opponent players' skills (like the first game, the opposing players are not named). This means opposing strikers can be man marked. Another main difference to the first game is the graphical highlights, now on all versions, that feature the full length of the pitch over three screens rather than just the goal attempts. At half time, substitutions and formation changes can be made.

Following the sale of Addictive Games to Prism Leisure Corporation in 1987, Kevin Toms concentrated on creating a second Football Manager game. Unlike the original BASIC only game, the sequel required machine code, which meant working with a number of developers for various systems. For the ZX Spectrum version, this was Bedrock Software. Unlike the first game that was stagger-released over a period of five years, Football Manager 2 was launched on all formats at the same time in June 1988, although it was available on a much smaller range of systems, including Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, and PC. Unlike the first game, there was no customiser utility with the original release. In 1989, Football Manager 2 Expansion Kit was released as a stand alone release, and also as a packed in with Football Manager 2. As well as being able to rename teams and players, this offered the chance to start in division one or play in other leagues such as the Euro Super League or as a national team in a World Championship.