The world's best management sim has now become the ulitmate portable footy game, with Football Manager Handheld being released on the iTunes app store today.

With the ability to manage in 34 leagues from 11 nations - including Australia - and utilising the Football Manager database of more than 20,000 players, it's the perfect way to road test your coaching skills and see if you can do better than your favourite boss.

I've always found the main selling point of management sims the best excuse to steer clear of them - they're just far too complex. But FM Handheld strikes the balance of information and gameplay perfectly, letting you pick up the game and begin coaching with minimal fuss but still have enough to keep you chopping and changing your selections and tactics as the season progresses.

Although don't tinker too much. I took charge of Tottenham and lasted a very disappointing two and half months before getting the elbow, which was a bit annoying as I thought we'd turn the corner and had a terrible spell of luck (playing the game may lead you to speaking in cliches as well).

What I did see of the game was an easy to use, intuitive interface which allows you to set tactics, passing style, squad selection, transfers and even individual training for players to work on weak spots.

Once the game starts, match action is written out on screen, with major events cutting to a 2D match engine where numbered circles play out the scoring chances in a surprisingly compelling way.

For a game made for a handheld device, it's extremely involved and entertaining, and retailing at $14.99, won't make too much of a dent in your transfer budget. If you're a canny boss and want to try it 'on loan' first, in a couple of weeks there will be a 'lite' eight game demo version you can download.

Football Manager Handheld is available for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch priced $14.99 from the iTunes store.

 To see some screen grabs from the new Football Manager game...