NBA Basketball 2000, then?
It's another simulation. Publishers Fox Interactive, if you didn't know, are part of a huge media empire in the United States, and the TV station is the equivalent of Sky Sports over here. Fox cover all the NBA (National Basketball Association) league games and this experience is brought to bear in the game. Fox have aped the television coverage in NBA Basketball 2000 and made it as close as possible to how you view the game on the box. When someone completes a dunk, you get a selection of replays from obtuse angles and it's actually pretty impressive.

What do Fox get for the NBA license?
The same as everyone else. The right to reproduce all the teams (33 of them), strips, logos and players (340 of them, some with the real faces mapped on) from the NBA. Each team has its own customised basketball court with the club logo plastered over the floor.

Nothing new, then?
Not really. Actually, the teams are all rated and some of them are significantly better than others, which could help if you're playing a friend who's a novice. Truth be known, it's well-executed, handsome, the dunk moves are decent, the motion capture ensures realistic movement... just like a lot of the best basketball games.

You don't like basketball games, do you?
Yes. Honestly. But it's getting harder to distinguish between the darned things. If you're a devoted fan of the bouncy ball game you'll probably buy it anyway.