Nintendo Pocket Football Club

There are football manager sims that appeal to a particular type of player, the serious games that allow you to choose team tactics, deliver talks that Mourinho and Fergie would be proud of, wrangle over the best players and steer your team to ever growing heights in your chosen league. Nintendo Pocket Football Club is not one of those games. But that doesn't mean that it should be dismissed out of hand.

Rather, it’s far less complex and arguably more fun than some of the football manager sims out there. Its more casual approach may not win it any fans among the die-hard sim devotees, but it’s a more accessible way of getting into the genre than some of the more daunting titles.

You have full control over your dimunitive players, but there isn’t the same level of detail that other manager sims have.

The graphics are, as you’d expect, are also far less complex. The 3DS screen demands it. Your tiny team are styled in a more retro fashion - 2D players, a 3D pitch. That just adds to the overall charm here though; the game isn’t trying to be something it’s not.

One frustrating thing - apparently intentional - is that you can’t skip through the matches. They last for several minutes too, so there’s a bit of a wait. However, it also forces you to see the results of your decisions played out in front of you. You can make a few changes once the match has started, if things aren’t shaping up quite how you’d like. The results are visible on the pitch.

Training cards earned during the game can be used to advance your players’ skills, boosting your team and pushing them higher up the table.

Overall, it’s a more light hearted approach to the genre, one that can be picked up and put down easily.