Classic mode is where the game really pulls out the stops and could single-handedly win back hoards of gamers who have drifted away from the series in recent years. It is a bite-sized version of the full game, which has been designed to allow those with time constraints and busy lifestyles to still enjoy the journey (or should I say roller coaster) of bringing your team to the top of the league. Many of the games dressing or micro management have been stripped away to let the player focus on the management and tactics of the team, which is where the genre originally started. Playing the beta version of the game I completed a season with Leicester in eleven hours which is pretty damn impressive, especially as they got promoted and reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. If you want a fuller gaming experience then stick to the tried and tested full game, but if you've got a lot on at work or your family demand a lot of your attention Classic Mode will let you get your FM fix but at no real life expense. Elsewhere the match engine has been vastly improved and the games themselves do look and feel more realistic. Don't get me wrong this isn't FIFA, but compared to other games in the market and previous offerings, this is the best management sim on the market. SI Games have worked hard on the physics side of the game, which now allows balls to realistically curve round walls or bobble when it's wet. I also loved/hated the improved player AI as now players will make those darting runs forward into space, though if they don't get it you'll be left short at the back. The stadiums look better and the crowds are now more life like too, overall giving you a much better match day experience. You can even adjust the level of information given to you throughout each match, so if you have a rival club playing at the same time you can be kept abreast of updates in that match. The improvements made to player and media interaction also lend to a more realistic and damning experience. Rather then just churning out the same old responses at half time to your team you now need to measure how your players are handling the game and whether being overly harsh on your team will actually have a good or bad impact on them. When dealing with the media you can now add a 'tone' to your proceedings, being you can start out being jovial and cheerful but if a reporter goes down a line of questioning you object to then simply click 'assertive' and say you won't be discussing such things at the present time. All of this will take some getting used to as I've learnt myself when trying to overly praise players at half time, only to see them take their foot off the petal far too early and throw away a deserved lead. I've found the training and player development with FM13 much more satisfying than in previous games, making the whole experience more organised and certainly more hassle free. You can delegate training to your assistant manager to organise and that includes the match training, which can now be done weeks in advance rather than by a match by match basis. Like many things with FM13 you do sometimes need to put in the time to fully appreciate certain aspects. Regarding player development I found I could focus their training to not only a position, but also a role within that so I could ask my coaches to help that pacey winger slowly become a striking poacher. Obviously whether this works or not will be down to a vast number of factors from how good your coaches are, the amount of training dedicated to that pursuit and ultimately the ability/determination of the player. One of the first things I did when starting up Football Manager 2013 was to create a network game for my friend and I to play. This was an area of huge disappointment in FM12, but I'm pleased to say that on initial findings, this years installment will be a treat for those wanting to game with friends. You can adjust how quickly games can be played so your all working off the same hymn book and even select whether to enable video replays during the matches. For those playing with strangers then a variety of other measures exist such as the amount of time spent between matches and how long a player can sit in idle if the rest of the players choose to continue. This will hopefully stop people abusing the system and annoying those they game with, but from my experiences the FM community are very friendly to each other. To play the devil's advocate there are a few small elements of the game I do find slightly lacking. The lines of questions offered my the media can get a little tedious if you stay at a club long term, and this has been an issue for the series for a while, after all you can have unlimited questions/responses. The responses are very similar to that for FM12 and I'd have liked to see SI Games try to shake things up a little here, though the argument would be 'if it's not broke, why fix it?' I did find my goalie letting in a back pass when under no pressure at all in a preseason friendly, which in itself is a good addition to the game but hopefully this isn't something that will happen too often on a nice warm day in July. There was also a known bug in the Beta where teams using wingers would score a high amount of goals and there wasn't much the opposition could do about it, fingers crossed this has been eradicated from the full released version as I haven't come across it so far. Lastly a few of the players I've come across were poorly rated i.e too good or bad: this is something that can't ever be fully foolproof as not everyone has the same opinions on players and I accept that, but there are a few anomalies out there (see my related articles for further information). Aside from the few minor points made above I still rate FM13 very highly and I'm sure it will keep my captivated till next year's installment (assuming they somehow manage to add even more good features that is). The 3D match engines will please those who want a more realistic edge to their football gaming and will give a better interpretation of what is happening on the pitch. Those who are restricted to less and less gaming hours will find contentment with the Classic mode and will hopefully attract people new to the genre to give it a go, those who do won't regret their choice. Ultimately though, the bulk of the FM gamers enjoy the micro management, the stats, trawling through pages of unknown players looking for that gem and bringing lowly ranked team to the top of the game, and these gamers will be delighted with Football Manager 2013. Everything done well in the past5 has been retained, with so many additions that we really have been spoilt this year and I'm sure I'll be noticing new elements of the game many months down the line. The bottom line is this - if you're sat on the fence at all concerning your FM13 purchase, then I suggest you drop down and give Football Manager 2013 a run in the park. There is a demo available for those till not 100% sure, but if you're wanting to devote your life, or just a few evenings to the game, I feel you'll be very happy and content with what's put in front of you. For those of you already decided then I wish you all the best of luck in your management careers. Just remember to wash every couple of weeks. Football Manager 2013 is out now.