Minimum: Multimedia PC with a Pentium 133/50 MMX or higher processor. Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating system. 32MB of RAM Quad speed or faster CD-ROM drive. Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device. Super VGA, 16 Bit Color Monitor. Windows95 compatible sound board Speakers or headphones required for audio. Recommended: Windows 95/98 compatible 28.8 or higher baud Modem for on-line registration. Baseball 2000 supports force-feedback hardware compatible with Microsoft DirectInput API, as well as AGP technology. System Reviewed on Windows 98 Pentium 200 MMX Nitro 3D 4MB Video Card 32 MB Ram Creative Labs AWE32 The crowd cheers, as the announcer warms the mike; "It's a great day for baseball! Welcome to Microsoft Baseball 2000 everybody. I'm Thom Brenneman, and today we're at the Toronto Skydome for the game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Colorado Rockies." "The Blue Jays take the field. The starting pitcher is David Wells." "Wells toes the rubber. And the pitch………….." "WHACK" Hey all you baseball fans out there! (even those of you who aren't) You are going to want to pick up this game. With Major League graphics and still cheaper than a catcher's mitt at Wal-Mart, it is video baseball at its best. Men can buy this and still have enough coin for a case of suds and a bag of Fritos. Ladies can pick this up and spend the savings on themselves. At around 20 greenbacks (400 Canadian), you will begin to get value from the game during the installation. Though it takes about 10 minutes to load, you are entertained by instruction from Thom Brennaman himself as you listen to the familiar sound of the pitcher warming up in the background. If your computer has a video card with 3D acceleration capabilities (though it is not needed to play MS Baseball 2000) don't forget to enable your 3D hardware after loading the game. Follow the instructions as described in the booklet. Are you ready to Play Ball? Not so fast McGuire, you have some decisions to make. From the main menu, you can load a previous game, play a single game, new season, new playoffs, home run derby, or look at the daily schedule and play one of tonight's games. The entire 1999/2000 season is loaded into game and future seasons and rosters are downloadable from the web site. Options such as video, audio, and controller setup are available for you to fine-tune the game to your needs and wants. Now we are ready to play! The graphics for Baseball 2000 are as detailed as any game out there. In fact, they have up to 2,500 polygons and move at speeds up to 30 fps. In comparison, EASports has only about 500 polygons and move at speeds at about 15fps. (Heath Keller, 1998-9 baseballsimcentral) This offers incredible clarity to the player's uniforms and faces. The problems start when you attempt to increase the visuals beyond the capacity of your video card. The game slows down to a crawl and flashes images rather than rolling at a smooth lifelike rhythm. The lifelike movement of the players is fantastic, especially when you are watching the game from the skybox view. I am sure if you watch each player close enough; you might even catch one scratching himself. While your team is fielding, the view from behind the pitcher's mound allows you to see the attention that has been given to ball dynamics. The ball curves, rolls, and bounces the way you would expect it to if you were watching a game on the tube. Let's talk about my favorite part of any game; the sound! With Dolby processed surround sound and a subwoofer hooked up to my box, I like my waves to be true. The background cheers of the crowd are real enough that I expect to hear the swears of a bitter fan or the burps of a drunk. The crack of the bat and the smack of the mitt are enough to make any fanatic excited. To put it bluntly, with these and the familiar play by play of the Arizona Diamondbacks announcer, Tom Brennaman, any roommate would swear you are watching a real game, even if you are playing after closing the local pub. In conclusion, I found Baseball 2000 to be an entertaining game that doesn't need a small encyclopedia of instructions to accompany it. It is not a game that could keep any individual strapped to the computer for hours on end, but will keep you playing and enthused while the steaks are marinating and the beers are chillin. The game did lockup on me a couple of times while in the middle of a game. Luckily I was losing. This is a game that you can't lend to your friends either, as even after the game is fully loaded; you consistently and conveniently need the CD to play the game. Overall, I would give Microsoft Baseball 2000 one joystick up.