International Cricket Captain: Ashes Edition 2001 - PC Games

This year's update is, unsurprisingly, more a polish than a thorough reworking of the formula (hence the low retail price), featuring the same intuitive interface and general all round ease of use. It also offers the same ferocious challenge as its predecessors too, with even the Easy mode sure to provide a sturdy test. The 2001 edition features updated statistics, a groundsman option (to help prepare a pitch that suits your team's style of play), the chance to play classic tests from the past or the 1999 World Cup, and a two-player mode too. These are more subtle changes than great advances, but they do enhance the game slightly.

Despite its initially specialist appearance, International Cricket Captain 2001 is an engrossing and accessible game that can be easily customised for different levels of expertise and patience. It doesn't cover cricket quite as well as Championship Manager caters to football fans, but that's mainly down to the differing subject matter. Yet sports-strategy-game fans should see this for what it is--a quality, addictive and bargain-priced sports game that'll easily whittle away a few weekends. --Simon Brew