An American Sports game on an American console is bound to go down well in the States, but how will Xbox's NBA 2K3 compare on European shores? Well, if past 2K instalments are anything to go by, then it'll be extremely successful, and rightly so.

With the game engine from the previous 2K games intact, gameplay in a technical sense remains the same as its predecessors, the basic rules obviously haven't changed, and there's the obligatory library of characters and statistics to play around ... more >>

An American Sports game on an American console is bound to go down well in the States, but how will Xbox's NBA 2K3 compare on European shores? Well, if past 2K instalments are anything to go by, then it'll be extremely successful, and rightly so.

With the game engine from the previous 2K games intact, gameplay in a technical sense remains the same as its predecessors, the basic rules obviously haven't changed, and there's the obligatory library of characters and statistics to play around with.

For the rare few who don't already know the fundamentals of basketball, two opposing sides, either both human or one computer controlled, control teams of five basketball players in an attempt to shoot the ball through the opposition's hoop. Three points are awarded for shots outside the inner circle, two points anywhere else. Those who don't possess the ball try to defend and steal, while those who do must work the ball closer to the basket to improve their chances of scoring. It doesn't matter how many games you've seen, they all work in this way.

There are a considerable amount of new features too. There's unique ESPN-style presentations, an expanded passing game, a low post game, a controlled rebounding game, an improved street mode and an all-new franchise mode. Each is pretty much self-explanatory and all help to cover every aspect of the sport in significant detail.

NBA 2K3 is undoubtedly comprehensive, with tons of replay value, a sound control method and perhaps most importantly for a game of this type, a manageable learning curve. << less