International Cricket Captain 2006

Would You Adam and Eve it... You wait all year for a cricket management sim to land on your desk - no really, you do - and then two of them land on said surface during the same issue. Anyone would think it's an Ashes year or something.

International Cricket Captain has now become a permanent part of the PC calendar, and this year's edition looks like it hasn't changed much since it first appeared back in 1998. Your involvement in the action mainly revolves around setting the aggression of your otherwise civil batters and bowlers, and then watching the game play itself out -that's about as exciting as it gets.

Highlights can also be viewed in a showcase of 2006's finest sprites (take a look at the screenshots), and how often you gawp at them is up to you. You'll feel tempted to watch every ball at first, but once the game starts to drag you'll turn the highlights off, and the game will quickly descend into blind Enter key-jabbing, and then probably hitting yourself with the keyboard as well.

Simply because of the slower nature of the sport. International Cricket Captain is no way near as entertaining or fast-paced as your average footy sim, but while it lasts, it admittedly makes for an absorbing cricket game. It hasn't changed much, but this title should do more than enough to keep wicket fans entertained until we take on the Aussies again at the end of the year.