Game Reviews – Telegraph Fantasy World Cup

When it comes to Fantasy Football games, few have the pedigree of the Daily Telegraph. They were, after all, the first to publish a Fantasy game on their broadsheet pages and have served a loyal following of players with their trusted Premier League efforts for many a season. It’s no real surprise then to find that they’ve delivered a no-thrills World Cup game that ticks all the major boxes. The only trouble is, they also want to lighten your wallet of a fiver…

Continuing a running theme we have another game restricted by boundaries, with The Telegraph only inviting members of the UK to participate (not even folks from the Republic of Ireland can join in here). While the McFantasy may be complex, I prefer the fact that it allows me to compete worldwide (with Gargamel in Sweden, with djman102 in America and with CRUSHER in Holland, etc) during a World Cup – it does only seem appropriate.

Even more significantly, this is the first game we’ve reviewed so far that charges at the gate. At £5 the Telegraph are not letting this one slip through the turnstile free, but they also have a couple of deals on offer if you want to set up multiple teams or branch into the telegraph Premier League game next summer to provide a bit more value.

The charge isn’t all going straight into the pockets of this old broadsheet though – the grand prize here is a considerable £20,000 – not to be sneezed at. Show that to the missus when she’s tutting during your team selection ritual.

There are some interesting special prizes on offer too, like a grand for the team with the most goals in the tournament, best starting XI and perhaps most intriguing is an offer of £500 for the Wooden Spoon (lowest score). Maybe I am missing something and it’s harder than it looks, but with a little bit of effort I imagine this reward may even be easier than that of overall leader which could lead to some amusing bottom of the table battles.

For those familiar with the annual Premier League format of The Telegraph; it appears to be more of the same here when it comes to team selection and points scoring. Managers pick a simple 11 man formation (no squads here) and can choose any player they so wish as long as they fit in the budget. North Korea FC anyone? You’ll also be handed 24 transfers to use at your discretion throughout the tournament.

Like the Sky Sports game we also have another game devoid of many of the intricacies showcased previously in other incarnations. Goal? 5 points. Assist? Add another 3. What about Clean Sheets? Make it 4 for a full game and 2 for a part appearance. It’s all simplistic in design, yet effective; The Telegraph do provide their own three point reward for a Man of the Match though so don’t think you can escape those arbitrary Fantasy treats.

Fantasy Managers willing to hand over the cash this summer – and not for another car-flag, cheap crate of beer or box of tissues for the inevitable penalty shoot-out misery – will find that The Telegraph offers the best all round game there is out there so far. They have a tried and tested games system, an interesting array of prizes as well as your usual mini-league contests – the most successful mini-league will also win a £1000 prize. Mmmm..tempting.

If this game was free it would doubtless be a hugely popular option. As it is, a fiver is an obstacle that’s likely to prove too much for some, certainly when it comes to mini-leagues, with a good few free options already available.