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Most citizens of major cities worldwide are familiar with an object known as the 'Baseball Bat' - mainly thanks to crime. They know how it looks, sounds and are also secure in knowledge of its reliability as a trustworthy burglar-basher! However, for us Brits, the game of Baseball hasn't yet caught on. Thanks to Accolade, though, we now have the third opportunity for the discovery of the Baseball Bat's intended usage - as a sporting tool rather than an offensive weapon!

For the uninitiated, Baseball is a team game where each line-up consists of nine players, and is quite similar to our own beloved PE stalwart - 'Rounders'. The defensive team surround a diamond-shaped play area, at each corner of which is a 'base', hence the name 'Baseball'. A batter steps up to the 'home base' representing the offensive team then hits the pitched ball as far as possible and runs attempting to reach as many of the four bases before the ball is either retrieved or caught. Just like cricket, if the ball is caught before touching the ground, the man is out. The player is similarly disgraced if the fielder responsible for a base receives the ball before he gets there.

Finally points are scored when a batter successfully makes it to the fourth, home base or manages to run all four bases in one go - a 'Home Run'! Both teams have nine innings each in which to do this as many times as possible. Now, if you ask Tom Cox, Baseball is a game for women - the misguided and somewhat chauvinistic fool. However, with its many Baseball-related features, this cart looks set to disprove his sad claim. Although exactly why Baseball players practise their sport in tights and little hats is anyone's guess!

Trying to catch a batter unawares is a nerve-wracking affair. When faced up to a particularly wise character whose bat seems to attract the ball like a magnet, pitching becomes something of a 'call my bluff' situation!

For this reason there are five possible pitching styles available to the pitcher and they all depend on the position of the D-pad, so choose carefully.

Lead your team to victory in either a single 'exhibition' game or a full 'league' tournament.

If there's one thing that Hardball II has in abundance it's the facility for altering almost all aspects of the original cart's set-up, right down to the colour of your chosen teams' caps to the logo design upon it. Fascinating.

Of all the players on the field, no one is more conspicuous than the batter as he steps up to the mound. Once the batter is 'up', as the saying goes, it is he who dictates the distance his fellow team members run.

It is the batter's responsibility then to play a similar mind game as the pitcher when taking that crucial swing, thus a further five possible types of swing are affored to him.

So, you don't know of the great AI Michaels then? Well, neither do we! No matter because after half an hour or so of playing this game his strangely robotic voice is imprinted on the player's mind forever. AI is the in-game commentator and offer spurious amounts of 'advice' throughout the match.

Quite often this advice amounts to merely stating the obvious but it does help to support the cart's big game simulation quality.

Baseball isn't the most thrilling sport in the world, but this version manages to add enough frills and gimmicks to make playing it fun. The basic gameplay is nicely designed, with lots of different pitches, hits and tactics for those with a real interest in the sport, but it's arcade-y enough for non-baseball players to be able to pick it up and enjoy the action without having to read reams of instructions.

The big feature of this is the impressive commentary that runs throughout the game. It hasn't got the same amount of phrases as Joe Montana Sportstalk Football, but nevertheless it gives the game an excellent atmosphere. Hardball III is definitely the best baseball game yet seen on console and is highly recommended to fans of the sport.

When it comes to options Hardball III certainly has them. If you're a Baseball fan who isn't satisfied with just an all out 'play ball' affair, there's everything here you could reasonably expect - perhaps more.

However, the 'extras' are presented as a bargain basement selection of options! Many of them are fairly unnecessary and displayed in a manner very reminiscent a Boeing 747's flight deck! Also the chosen, close-up view point of the batter and pitcher contrasted with the miniscule fielders is a bit too great for comfort.

Control over the batter/pitcher is quite in depth but, once the ball is struck, the viewpoint changes to the limited, miniature fielders who require very little skill to perform a catch.

No matter, though, because Hardball III is as good as its chosen method allows. The controls are instinctive and the choice of pitch and batting styles adds an element of strategy to the game. However, the long-term interest of this game looks slightly lame when compared to the other sports games for the Megadrive despite its many custom possibilities.

Even so, this is the best Baseball game on the Megadrive to date.

Presentation 87%
P. A satisfactory attract sequence and options galore. N. Many of the options are nothing more than gimmicks and don't actually alter the gameplay at all.

Graphics 80%
P. Clear representations of the players and a wide choice of varying stadiums for added interest. There are some nice touches to the animation of the players.

Sound 79%
P. Okay music coupled with AI Michaels' speech makes the game sound like something special. N. AI Michaels really grates on the nerves!

Playability 84%
P. It's fun for one player as the controls are responsive and the tension between pitcher and batter is high. N. The rest is pot luck and control of the fielders is quite fiddly.

Lastability 85%
P. The league matches last a long while. Changing the colour of the various teams' colours is vaguely amusing. N. The aforementioned options are largely a waste of time.

Overall 84%
A high-quality baseball simulation with far too many needless options. However, in the gameplay stakes, Hardball III is the best console baseball simulation to date. If you're a fan of the sport, check it out.