My name is Kevin and I've been a football management sim addict since the early 90s - but I had been clean for two or three years. Until now.

I loved Football Manager right from its Other Name beginnings, but something changed a few years ago. I stopped playing. At the time, I thought I was just too busy, maybe even, shock, horror, getting too old for computer games.

In hindsight though, I now realise it was the switch in UI styles of Football Manager. The whole interface was changing, things were annoyingly not where I expected them to be, typefaces were too small, yet I still had acres of space unused at the side of the screen, and worst of all (for me, stuck in my old skool curmudgeonly ways) was the switch from 2D to 3D for the actual match action.

I felt it was a token gesture by the developers to appease the FIFA masses. I no longer felt in control in the same way - tactical changes I implemented didn't seem to be immediately visible onscreen like they once were in 2D. In fact, I had no real idea if they were being implemented at all.

While other aspects of the game seemed to have been ramped up, the actual matchday experience, the business of playing and winning games, had never felt more OUT of my control. I also didn't like the direction it was going online. And the demands for PC power seem to have spiralled out of control...and...and...

So I quit.

And then I got Football Manager 2013 to review. So this is my life over, again. I'm BACK,baby...I'M BACK!

Everything I had once hated is now fixed. I have never felt more involved in the matchday experience. Tactical switches in game have visible effects immediately. I can shout orders from the sidelines and see them implemented (unlike previously, when I'd just shout at my laptop screen and the cat would laugh at me for being so pathetic.)

And did I mention it works so smoothly even on a MacBook Air? No more life-sapping waits for updates, match results, drowned out by the whirring CPU fan as the machine struggled to cope.

It could be the distance I put between this version and my beloved older versions of the late 90s, but I now love the new UI. It finally seems intuitive. Everything is where I might expect it to be. I can find the menu I need. I can see the info I need without having to guess my way through endless tabs.

Playing is now more relaxed than Jose Mourinho's loosened tie. It's enjoyable once more and I love it...

Look, there are tons of new features I'm sure the developers would love me to mention but trust me - all you need to know is that this is the best Football Manager ever. Ever. Better, even, than the 2001 version which I was pretty sure was the ultimate classic.

[Talking of which there is one new feature I will mention - the new Classic mode...can't be arsed with all the extra distractions? Switch to Classic mode and get back to basics. Win games, win trophies, be awesome. Awesome. And while I'm at it, the Challenges - get set objectives, achieve them and become the new Ferguson or Guardiola in the process. Or fail and be Mehm Durakovic instead.]

Oh and yes, the full A-League is in there too so see what YOU can do with Sydney!

As always the stats are top notch, the buying and selling has been improved even more, scouting and assistants actually do their jobs...it's just great. I love it. And I'm off to play it again.

Football Manager. The best just got better. Buy it and say goodbye to your family.