Addictive as a single-player experience and flat-out irresistible while playing in an online league, it shouldn't be missed.

In spite of these kinks in its layout, Ecco provides a consistently smooth experience; you'll honestly feel like a deft aquatic mammal and experience the liberating, exciting things that compose a dolphin's everyday life.

Unfortunately, none of the events are done particularly well.

Despite its short length and a few other problems, Star Trek Bridge Commander is an innovative, entertaining simulation.

The game does have some noticeable problems, though C&C fans may find themselves having too much fun to care.

Thanks to the street-ball mode, it's like there are two games in one--the graphics are on par with most any basketball game on the market, and the gameplay is tight and intuitive.

All-Star Baseball 2003 has High Heat 2003 licked where graphics are concerned, and the inclusion of the franchise mode makes Acclaim's hardball simulation all the more enticing--[but] you can't go wrong buying either one.

With its main story mode clocking in at around five hours, there's little long-term replay value.

While not incredibly complex, the tactical combat and unique IAS system remain compelling and fresh throughout the 20-plus hours it will take to finish the game.

Even taking the lack of MX games into consideration, this game is bad for everybody, and it's our sincerest hope that potential players will take our advice and stay very, very far away from this game.

Suffers from a series of problems ranging from stilted animation that adversely affects its gameplay to downright poor AI.

But ultimately, The Huge Adventure is a fairly basic platformer that doesn't really have some of the innovation of other Game Boy Advance platformers.

Despite a few rough edges, Jet Set Radio Future manages to shine because of its addictive, original gameplay and its stunning graphics.

It has a deep franchise mode, accurate player ratings, and all the small details that make baseball fans giddy with excitement.

The graphics leave a bit to be desired, and there are some slight quirks with the gameplay, but compared with last year's bug-filled installment, All-Star Baseball 2003 is [a] winner.

Real Pool 2 may offer pretty graphics and tolerable ball action, but it comes up short in so many other areas that it cannot be heartily recommended to enthusiasts of either the real-life or virtual pastime.

Just about every aspect of the game's design has undergone some type of change, from the radically improved swing interface and the use of 3D golfer animations instead of digitized motion-capture footage, to a powerful camera option that gives you unlimited access to the gorgeously rendered courses.

The host of graphical and gameplay improvements featured in the 2002 edition make this year's Tiger Woods far superior to previous entries in the series...the best golf simulation currently on the console market.

Whether or not you'll enjoy Ultima Online depends on whether you find appealing the prospect of establishing your own objectives within a virtual sandbox and then constantly repeating a number of relatively mundane tasks to achieve those goals.

It's simple, but the game makes brilliant use of the classic's design, and the whole retro style never seems forced.

Actually competing in a deadly chariot race is an intriguing concept for a game, but Circus Maximus doesn't manage to make the experience all that exciting.

It's a rigorous, realistic simulation of what it's like to command a brigade of combined-arms troops in modern warfare.

The game's short length is what makes it so engaging...an addictive little game much like "Bejeweled" or "Tetris," but instead of being a puzzle, it's a little adventure that you can lose yourself in for a few minutes at a time.

The lack of a link-cable option, the limiting of power-ups to the jam mode, and an absence of mid-shot passing are the three problems that ultimately keep NBA Jam 2002 from attaining all-star status.

Now, a game that was less than impressive on the Dreamcast is even less so when presented on the technically superior GameCube.

Arguably the most original and inventive rhythm game since the advent of "Dance Dance Revolution" or the original "Parappa the Rapper," and it's easily one of the best rhythm games for the PlayStation 2.

Its extremely short life span, accompanied by its lukewarm presentation, ensures that few players will get more than a couple of hours' worth of enjoyment out of the home version.