Tracksuit Manager
 Amstrad CPC screenshot of Tracksuit Manager | |
| Developer(s) | Goliath Games[2] |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Goliath Games[2] |
| Designer(s) | J. Foster[3] |
| Platform(s) | Commodore 64[2] Amstrad CPC[2] Atari ST[2] Amiga[2] ZX Spectrum[2] |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Sports management[1] (Soccer/Association football) |
| Mode(s) | Single-player[3] |
Tracksuit Manager is a sports management video game that takes the conventional Football Manager game style from the 1980s in a various number of methods.[2]
Summary
The Amiga magazine Advanced Computer Entertainment gives this game an official rating of 606 out of 1000 (60.6%) in its April 1989 issue.[2] While ₤9.95 was the full manufacturer's price for the game (₤33.7 in today's money), it could be bought from budget retailers for only ₤2.99 (₤10.13 in today's money).[4]
The player controls an international football team who has failed to perform adequately in the 1986 FIFA World Cup and must qualify for the 1990 FIFA World Cup through the 1988 European Championships.[2] Instead of a transfer market, the player is given a choice between 100 eligible football players and must choose from 22 of them.[2] The matches are presented in the running commentary style of sports announcing with a small graphic depicting where the ball is.[2] Players must qualify for the 1988 UEFA European Football Championships in West Germany.
All the famous football players like Peter Shilton and Diego Maradona are included in this game.[5] There is an England player called 'Breacher' in the game. In reality there was no recognised top flight footballer with this name. Many commentators assume that this error was due to a typo of the name of then Luton Town player Tim Breacker.
Players are rated on their various attributes, using the following terms (ranked worst to best):
Grim
Very Poor
Suffering
Poor
Disappointing
Below Average
Useful
Good
Very Good
Excellent
Brilliant
World Class
Best in the World
These terms apply to confidence:
Rock Bottom
Almost ..
Even Lower
Very Low
Low
Lacking
O.K.
Fine
Good
High
Sky High
Even Higher
Absolute
These terms apply to stamina:
Cannot Stand
Cannot Walk
Cannot Run
Shouldn't Play
Not Good
Lacking
Below Par
Not at his Best
He'll Pass
No Problem
Very Fit
Extremely Fit
Run all Day
The 55 teams are also ranked, on the Grim to Best in the World scale, according to defence, midfield and attack. New Zealand are the weakest team.
The game went to number 2 in the UK sales charts, behind Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge.[6]
There are appreciable skill level differences between versions. The Commodore version sees teams such as Argentina, Brazil and Italy, for example, downgraded from Excellent ratings, compared to that of the Amstrad version. World Class ratings are now downgraded to Brilliant, and no players have Best In The World in their statistics.
There is also a confidence rating of "Confident" that goalkeepers sometimes have, which does not appear in the list above.
References
- ^ a b "Genre/release date information". GameFAQs. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Basic game overview". MobyGames. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
- ^ a b "# of players/designer information". Game Base 64. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
- ^ "Manufacturer's suggested retail price information". World of Spectrum. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ "Player information". YRNSRY.com. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
- ^ http://ysrnry.co.uk/ys37.htm