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Despite the undeniable attraction of great sportsmanship, cool body armour and the spectacle of watching blood bounce on ice, the game of ice hockey has never really held any great place in the British sports. Why bother getting kitted up with armour and masks and go to all the bother of freezing your back yard when you can just get a football and start playing?

More to the point, why bother releasing yet another uninspiring ice hockey videogame with the lame excuse that it now has the word '2000' in the title? The problem with these games is that they always have a ready audience of enthusiasts who will buy the title no matter what, which means that the game itself has very little innovation, or interest, for casual hockey fans.

True, NHL 2000 does give the hockey fan quite a lot in such a small square of plastic. You can control your team in either a quick and brutal 'friendly' match for practice or decide to hit and fake your way through, from the first drop of the puck to winning the Stanley cup in a full 82-game season. With a great set of in-game rules and a fair amount of options, this title is user-friendly, even for total rookies. If you have a hockey game already, though don't be won over by this latest release, just write '2000' on your old game with a biro!

Graphics 60%
Nothing amazing here.

Sound 60%
Nothing amazing here either.

Playability 80%
A fine knockabout for hockey fans.

Lastability 60%
Plenty for determined players.

Overall 67%
Serves its purpose - it's a hockey game!