"Is it the shoes?" shouts the commentator after a particularly nasty jam. Well, it's either that or the fact that the basketballers are 7-foot tall, with arms that dangle down to their ankles and huge hands. And you know what they say about people with big hands: they wear big gloves. But the familiar commentator sounds can only mean one thing - NBA Jam is back, and this time the Saturn gets its helping.

This version, the Tournament Edition, features double the amount of features from the original, as well as the usual quota of secret players, extravagant dunks and hidden power-ups. The actual gameplay is a lot slicker, and the players move alarmingly faster than in any other versions. All the scaling is here too, so that when the players run nearer to the line they expand or shrink, depending on which way you go. The faces on the players have all been added, enabling real NBA stars to be recognised easily. Also, when you topple the other accessible partnerships you can expect to see a super team. Can you defeat the so-called Jam masters?

The original NBA game on the Megadrive was one of the most eagerly awaited arcade conversions in recent times, and a deserved hit. Sequels and conversions come and go on most formats, but in my humble opinion, this is one of the best you're likely to get.

The game is fast and annoyingly addictive. Secrets and hidden people can only enhance the already winning formula. If I had to have a gripe, it would be that the Saturn control pad was a bit awkward for this, but given time even that's forgotten.

I agree with Steve that this is a good game, but I am not so sure that it is a sure fire hit. The game has been around for a while now, and with the far more inventive games like Sega Rally and Vritua Fighter 2 due to arrive around the same time, I can see more people going for those rather than this.

It's still one of the better onversions though, and if you missed out on the Megadrive outing, this comes highly recommended.

Graphics 92%
Fantastic player faces, scaling and court backdrop.

Animation 93%
Players could be better, but are still good.

Music 86%
Not really any groundbreaking tunes.

Effects 93%
Speech and floor squeaks are awesome.

Playability 90%
Easy to get into, hard to put down.

Lastability 86%
Lots of matches, and secrets too.

Overall 90%
The pick of NBA games. A worthy addition to your collection.