Usually when the annual update of an established gaming franchise comes along boasting 900 improvements, the news is greeted with the same indignant humour (and partial disbelief) that comes with Dyson's claims to have 8 million patents on every hoover they release, or whatever the real number is. But when it comes from SI Games, and relates to Football Manager, you get the sense that the developers mean every word they say - and the fans wouldn't have it any other way. Because the management sim has less overt gameplay elements, it's always been about the details for SI Games, about returning to features and retuning them to the finest degree in the quest for realism and total immersion, as well as how well the user interface works for the players. And it's that level of dedication to the product that guarantees fans come back every year with the same thirst for the game - this might be the archetypal example of a game franchise bolting on new features to the engine and calling it a new game, but with Football Manager that is entirely the point. 2012's offering - as ever - promises to be the biggest and the best FM title yet released (what would be the point of releasing it otherwise?) with a host of new features - and not just minute tweaks to existing and established ones - and new ways to play the favourite game like never before. That can only spell success for SI Games, and you can't help but admire the fact that the developer continues to look to push the envelope in a marketplace they have basically monopolised since the break-up of the original Championship Manager team. So why is the game so hyped? Well, here are the ten things that make Football Manager 2013 an essential purchase...