Having been playing Championship Manager 2010 for a week now, I thought that now would be the perfect time to write down some of my first impressions of the game.

When I first loaded up the game I started out as Oxford City in the Southern Premier Division, and my initial feelings about the game weren’t particularly positive. I’m used to playing Football Manager, and to begin with found the Championship Manager 2010 set-up a little fiddly. After a few days the controls of the game were no longer an issue, the actual quality of play in this division did seem a little iffy however, and the players at this level within the game seem unable to kick a ball without falling over, pass in an incredibly peculiar manner, and watching the 3D match action at this level just doesn’t look right.

The Southern Premier Division is a seventh tier English league, and granted, the football at this level isn’t as free flowing and perfect to watch as Premier League level football; within the game the quality of football just seems a bit too rubbish though, and if you’re thinking of managing a lower level team then this is something that you may well find quite frustrating about Championship Manager 2010.

Having had issues with the in-game quality of football at Southern Premier League level, the second team I chose to manage was Manchester United, and found this to be a far more pleasurable experience. Usually I enjoy taking on lower level clubs and getting them promoted up the divisions; with the 3D action so frustrating to watch at the lower levels however, with Championship Manager 2010 I far prefer managing higher profile football teams, and have very much enjoyed managing Manchester United.

I only paid £2.51 for Championship Manager 2010, and for that price I am very pleased with my investment. Will I still be playing the game when Football Manager 2010 comes out at the end of October? Almost certainly, and will I be buying Championship Manager games again in the future? I think there’s a very good chance of that happening, yes.