International Cricket Captain

Background

The game engine for International Cricket Captain began as the final year dissertation project of Chris Child at Birmingham University in 1992. Child's cricket simulation initially failed to find willing developers until Brian Walker, who had been working at Eidos on the Championship Manager series when Child pitch his idea to the company, moved to Empire and picked up Child's idea.

The game was an instant success, reaching number one in the UK PC charts with over 50,000 sales.

Gameplay

The player must take control of an English county side of their choosing from the start of the 1998 domestic season. At the end of each season the player is given a score based on the performance and if they have gained enough points they will be invited to lead the English national team.

During the close season, contract negotiations take place in which players are transferred between clubs or retire from the game altogether. There is also a pool of overseas players (from which the player can sign only one, in line with the regulations of the time).

The game lasts for twenty seasons until the player is forced to retire and the game ends.

Australian Cricket Captain

Australian Cricket Captain (ACC) is a version based on the Australian state season and was released for the Australasian market in 1999. The game is almost identical to the original release in terms of gameplay aside from a revamp of the contracting system and minor cosmetic tweaks. This version also includes commentary from former Australian captain Ian Chappell.