Sports Director have announced the launch of Football Director DS, the first football management game for Nintendo's hugely-popular handheld video game console, the Nintendo DS.

Designed by veteran football management game designer Roger Womack (whose credits include Championship Manager, FA Premier League Manager and Football World Manager) and developed by Bradford-based Four Door Lemon, Football Director DS brings all of the tactical and strategic depth that's expected of a contemporary football management game to Nintendo's handheld console. The game's authenticity is strengthened by its official Football League licence.

Completely new to this format - and filling the gap for the 50 per cent of UK Nintendo DS owners who are football fans* - the game has been developed from the ground up to take advantage of the Nintendo DS' unique hardware configuration.

With an intuitive, Nintendo DS stylus-driven interface, Football Director DS is remarkably easy to pick up and play. However, this ease of use has not been achieved at the expense of gameplay, as the creators have packed in enough tactical and strategic depth to make it a serious mobile option for even the most dedicated hardcore football management gamer. The game experience is flexible enough to be played in bite-sized, five-minute chunks or alternatively over longer, season-conquering sessions.

'The release of Football Director plugs one of the very few gaps in the Nintendo DS' extraordinarily broad software roster... and it does it in some style,' says Peter Sleeman, Managing Director of Pinnacle Software, the worldwide distribution partner for Football Director DS. 'This game has been beautifully conceived and executed and, as a result, will appeal to anyone with an interest in football, from the casual armchair fan to the hardened management simulation aficionado looking for a mobile 'fix'.'

Taking complete control of his or her favourite team, the Football Director player grows and moulds a squad by judicious dealings in the transfer market; drawing from the game's database of around 3,800 players drawn from all of the major leagues across the globe. This squad can then be developed into a winning unit using the game's exhaustive training and tactics functions.

As in real life, however, the true test of a team's mettle only comes when the transfer activity ends, the tactics are set and the players cross the white line. At this point Football Director DS players take their place in the virtual technical area to direct proceedings as matchday events unfold 'live'.

As the name suggests, though, there's more to Football Director DS than simply selecting and preparing a team. In addition to building and coaching a title-challenging squad, the player also gets to choose his or her own non-playing staff, hiring and firing to create the ideal backroom team to support the entire playing staff; from first team stars to youth team hopefuls. And the management responsibility doesn't stop there either, as the player also takes responsibility for his or her club's financial performance, having full access to the club's accounts and control over wages, contracts and dealings with the bank.

Football Director DS Features:

Intuitive, Nintendo DS stylus-driven interface allowing quick and easy access to all screens and data.

Football Director DS will be released through Pinnacle Entertainment in September 2008