Basket Manager, The Download (1991 Sports Game)

In the game you as manager of Basketball team start your career with a budget of $9,000,000. The gameplay includes the economical management of the team and playing the baseketball game itself on the field.

In management phase the player has to buy a team of 8 players, and assign 5 of them for a match. The price of players differs based on their skill and experience. The experience is described by two parameters: Rookie and Veteran, and skills are described by four parameters: SP (Running speed), SK (Skill in getting set for taking shot), ST (Stamina), SH (Shooting ability). Starting with the rookies the player will eventually progress to a solid team of veterans.

In simulation phase the matches need to be won with the assigned players on the field, against another team. The player controls one of the team players, the one holding the ball a ball, or the one currently near the ball, moving him in eight directions, trying to get the ball, or throwing the ball.

The game is available for 1-2 players.

Simulmondo was one of those game companies that I could never make their mind about. Some of their games are really bad, but some are quite good. The following game was made in 1990 and it is quite underrated. That's probably due to the lack of publicity. Still The Basket Manager is a game solid basketball simulator. It was preparing terrain for basketball games that were yet to come, and were more of arcade style (like Basket Playoff).

You task is to manage the team. This includes all the buying and selling of players, picking the game strategies for each individual match and naturally controlling the finances of the team. You should be really careful when buying veteran players. They are better, but you could run out of money to buy the rest of the players needed to build the team. The game is hindered, so it can't offer any real players, because they didn't have the rights to their names. But seeing how the main emphasis lies on management, it's good to know you can compete against 3 other managers (either human or computer controlled). Also note that every player has different statistics, but they don't seem to make that much of a difference, when the teams are playing ball.

It's a nice game and all sport fans will probably like it, but it does lack realism. It involves some management elements, but it has more arcade type gameplay. I guess it's because Simulmondo was better at those kinds of games. So don't look for realism, but you can expect some fun and good time.

After this short review, like the game that is short, I give this game 3.

One of Simulmondo's most obscure games, The Basket Manager is a game in one of the niche sub-genres in sport: basketball simulation. It can be regarded as the coaching simulation companion to their earlier Basket Playoff, an arcade-style basketball game. As a team manager, you are in charge of buying and selling players, crafting strategies for each match, and oversee your team's finances. The game is quite limited due to lack of real-world licenses, but on the upside you can compete with up to 4 other managers, any of whom can be computer or human. Player statistics are provided, although they don't seem to make that much of a difference on the court. Overall, worth a look for fans of the sport, but don't mistake it for a realistic simulation. It's a curious title that hangs in a limbo between arcade gameplay (which Simulmondo is good at), and an accurate portrayal of basketball coaching. Negligible to say the least.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

People who downloaded Basket Manager, The have also downloaded:
Supercars, NBA Jam Tournament Edition