APP OF THE DAY: Football Manager 2012 Handheld (iPhone/ iPad)

Gaming’s premier football management simulator makes its annual, welcome return to the iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone today. Budding Alex Fergussons can get their hands on Football Manager 2012 Handheld right now for some on-the-go footy fiddling.

Though it’s jam-packed with extensive player details and reams of customisable tactics, the handheld edition of the veritable sim is aimed more at quick-fire sessions, letting you drop in and out of the action while on the daily commute or killing time on the terraces on match day.

As such, as well as standard league modes Football Manager 2012 Handheld also offers challenge modes, pitting your skills against a number of pre-set scenarios. For instance, you’ve got “The Saviour Cometh” scenario, which challenges you to save your favourite team floundering at the bottom of the table mid-season, and “The Invincibles” which requires you to remain unbeaten for an entire season in order to win.

That’s not to say the game is without depth; 12 nations and their leagues can be browsed for players or teams to direct, with the in-game databse brought bang up to date to reflect the season’s changes.

The UI has been tweaked here and there too to make navigating the many options as simple as possible when guiding your team to the top.

Grab the app today from iTunes for £6.99. It’s compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPads, and requires iOS 3.0 or later to run.