GAME CONTROL The simulation is controlled completely by the joystick. Just point it at the text and press fire. For the main body of the game you will see index cards, packed full of information. Just point at the tab at the top and press fire to obtain more information. GAME LENGTH You play 38 league games a season and start entered for the league and f.a. cup competitions. If you succeed you can be entered for the Charity Shield, European Cup, European Cup Winners Cup and Uefa. For each match you can play either a short or full version with the full taking 45 minutes to play. We therefore recommend that before starting a disk is formatted. The game ends if you are relegated (finish in the bottom three) from the first division. PLAYER INFORMATION Superleague Soccer holds a most comprehensive bank of information for each player. You are told: Personal Information Age: most players go downhill after 30. Height: tall defenders are required. Side: whether left or right footed or both. Ability Fitness: Under 40 and you're considered unfit. Speed: 99 is fastest. Tackling: Required for defenders. Heading: Strikers or defenders must be good. Shooting: Strikers main requirement. Control: Good control helps any player. Career Information Goals scored this season. Goals scored in career. Games played this season. Games played in career. Other Morale: Important as to how the player plays. Contract: How many games to play before the contract runs out. Worth: Is he worth a million? START/DIFFICULT Once the game is loaded you are given a list of the 20 teams in the first division. Which one you choose sets the difficulty level. For instance picking a team in the first column gives you a stronger and potentially more wealthy club than teams in the second column. CHANGE This allows you to change the names of the teams, the players and their attributes. Hint: using this option you can design your own league based on players you know. Giving them appropriate skills and features based on real life! LOAD/SAVE If you've just changed your players/team details why not save it immediately - so that you can restart the game with your own league. This option should also be used when you have to stop playing but wish to return later to where you left off. Note: you must have a formatted dsik to save the data to. START This is the option which is first shown, once the game has loaded. If you've chosen the wrong team, you can restart with this option. CONTINUE The index cards actually represent the menu system that runs Superleague Soccer. Certain options alter the tabs at the top - giving you access to more information! The continue options brings up: Table Money Train Pick Play To go back a card just click on the area above the taps. TABLE Selecting table brings up another menu, which lets you find out how you are doing in the various competitions: Fixture Full Home Away Cup Fixture Lists your forthcoming league and cup games. This enables you to find out when you've got your chance to revenge defeat. More importantly - if you are going for the cup - you can find out how much longer to go for the next match, so that you may decide to rest an injured player. Full Gives you the league position. Three points for a win, one for a draw. If teams are on level points, goal difference comes into play. Home Your home results Away Your away results. This enables you to see where your strength lies. Cup This gives access to another menu which gives you details of your next cup games: FA CUP LEAGUE CUP EURO CUP (european cup) EFA CUP (Cup Winners Cup) UEFA CUP MONEY Brings up another menu to do with finance: Finance Loan Buy Sell Contract Finance Shows how well the club is doing financially. The better, you do on the pitch, the more fans you'll get and therefore more income. Loan Last season's league position determines how many millions you can borrow. Try to keep your spending under control. Buy There are several different types of players you can buy: First Division Other Division Schoolboy International Not all players will want to join your club. All will want to discuss contracts before saying yes. Sell Your squad (up to 30 players) will appear. Select the one you wish to sell and hopefully someone will buy him. Contract All players are contracted to play a certain number of games. The more games you contract them to play the higher their wages. You can try and extend their contract at any time - but they will not always accept. In fact players will leave the club if you have not agreed a new contract and their old one runs out! TRAIN This brings up another menu all to do with what happens in between games: Reserve Injury Spy Reserve Select 11 players and they'll play a reserve game. Only one of these games are allowed in-between real matches. Their use is to bring on young players giving them vital match experience. They also can help injured players get their match fitness back. Injury Lists all your casualties. Spy Allows you to look in detail at any player in your division: FORMATION Sets the team formation, that you'll be asking your players to use. Options available include: 4-3-3 Once common formation used throughout english football. Unfortunately you can find at least 1 and sometimes 2 of the front 3 pulled back to prevent defeat. However the 4 across the vakc does enable the off-side trap to be played (hiss). 4-4-2 Probably the most common formation now in the UK. Gives plenty of defensive coverage and is very effective. 4-2-4 Made popular during England's 1966 world cup run. Very attacking, but creates a great workload for the two midfielders. Very rarely seen nowadays because of the rise in importance of defence. 5-4-1 The sweeper system, probably the most popular system throughout europe. Can be very attacking if you passes 2 quick full backs who can turn into wingers. However mostly used to enable man to man marking while the sweeper or 'libero' hangs back to intercept any through balls. 5-3-2 Rarely seen variation on 5-4-1. 4-5-1 Works best if you have midfielders willing to go on through runs. Worked very well for Tottenham Hotspur recently, enabling their lone striker to grab nearly 50 goals in 1 season. SELECT/TACTICS Having chosen your formation now select your players and choose their positions. These are your most important decisions. To help you listed below are a few general characteristics about what type of player is good in which position: Goalkeeper: height around 6 ft. Good control and tackling ability. Back: around 5'10", good tackler and above average speed. Central Defender: Atleast 6ft, strong tackler and good in the air. Midfielder: Good Fitness, and above average shooting and tackling. Winger: Good speed and control. Striker: Good shooting and heading ability. Extra speed helps. PLAY You have three options: - The Full Game A Short Game Immediate Result Immediate result is the most realistic of the options, as it is rare that a manager has too much impact on the game once it has started (well that's what the rules state!) The other options have been included to demonstrate the tactical problems any football team faces. Play Control - Player Movement You control all 11 players of your team (the red team playing left to right). To move a player press fire while the cursor is on his name, then point to the area of the pitch that you want him to go and press fire again. Away he'll go. You can have all 11 players moving at the same time. While controlling your team, the opposition will be attacking and defending as appropriate. Play Control - Ball Control The gauge at the bottom right shows how far you'll kick the ball if any of your players touch it. To kick the ball a short distance move the gauge to low strength (to the left) and get a player to run towards the ball. When he touches the ball it will travel at the strength set on the gauge. To get a dribble going, set the strength gauge to low and set the player to run on a course that goes past the ball. When he reaches it he will begin moving the ball until he arrives at the point on the pitch that you marked him to go to. Like all ball games some practice is needed, but once mastered you'll be able to go on runs and pass the ball to colleagues (by increasing the strength indicator). Automatic Plays To keep the game flowing all deadball situations (throw-ins, goal kicks and corners) are taken automatically. ADVICE Superleague Soccer requires you to act like a true top-flight manager. You must be able to: - Control your club´s finances. - Spot the players you need and buy them. - Keep your players motivated. - Encourage young talent to blossom. - Handle player contract negotiations (which is becoming more and more important in the modern game). - Recognise where your players' best position on the pitch is. - Decide which formation most suits the talents of the team. Remember your aim is to win trophies, relegation and you are out! Good luck in your task, as you tackle your way to the top!