This latest release incorporates a number of enhancements over previous versions of the game, including more leagues, more players, enhanced interaction between manager and coaching staff and all the very latest official rules and regulations. The most significant innovation, however, is the addition of the all-new 2D 'match engine' enabling players to see exactly how their chosen team are performing during a match.

"It's difficult to believe, but even after more than 10 years we keep finding ways to improve the game," says Miles Jacobson, managing director of Sports Interactive. "The inclusion of the match engine, in particular, enhances the playing experience and gives the player one more vital tool in his quest to create and manage the perfect team".

"Championship Manager 4 offers everything that the armchair manager could want – and a whole lot more," says Nick Robinson, product manager at Eidos Interactive. "If the initial demand is anything to go by, this will prove to be the most successful version to date, underlining just how far Championship Manager is ahead of its competition."

Championship Manager was first published in 1992 and has gone on to be the most successful computer game series in UK history. Each 'season update' release has set new records, while the '01/02' version remains the fastest-selling computer game ever in the UK, selling more than 103,000 units in its first weekend.

The game's enormous fan base has helped the Championship Manager series sell more than 3 million sales worldwide and even influenced the creation of it's own devoted publication, the Official Championship Manager Magazine.

Many professional football players and coaches throughout the world count Championship Manager among their hobbies. The all-consuming devotion of certain fans is such that it has even been cited in divorce proceedings.

To say that this latest version (the first completely new version since 1999 is eagerly anticipated would be something of an understatement. When the first demo version of the game was made available via the Sports Interactive website (www.sigames.com) in February 2003 it generated an unprecedented number of visitors, causing the entire system to temporarily shut down.

Championship Manager 4 will be available for PC from March 28th, with an SRP of £34.99.

Features:

All new 2D match engine for comprehensive highlights or even complete representations of matches.

250,000 players in 88 divisions across 39 nations from world of football.

All the latest rules and regulations accurately recreated.

Enhanced interaction with players, officials and the media.

Facility to make individual notes and reminders for each player in your squad.

A huge range of specific match sound effects to represent varying attendances.

Realistic training regimes designed by Liverpool and Eire football legend Ray Hougton.