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Super Baseball 2020 is an international league bringing together men, women and even robots in one all-new and sparkly stadium, the 'Cyber Egg'. Things have got a bit warped here in the future, what with cladding players in armour to enhance their natural playing abilities, and replacing salaries with on-the-spot cash prizes. Novelties aside, all of the usual Baseball rules apply, which means lots of incomprehensible phrases like 'line drives', 'screwballs', 'the fair zone' and 'the foul zone' - all destined to leave Baseball virgins very confused.

There are two leagues with six teams in each. Victory in the league means the Super Baseball 2020 Championship game against the victors of the other league. Each team comes with a unique set of teams, some with strong pitchers, some with wild hitters, but any team can be improved by purchasing power-ups. If a player gets fed up with striking out in the league, there is always the opportunity to challenge a friend in the two-player mode. At the end of the day, who knows if Super Baseball 2020 will be a field of dreams or nightmares!

A straight conversion of the Neo-Geo arcade game of the same name, funnily enough.

Players must bat, pitch and field in an attempt to score runs by getting players around the bases and 'home'. The team that scores the most points are the winners.

Providing a team has acquired enough cash they can buy power-ups to improve either their batting or pitching abilities. Once the power-up has been allocated to a player, that player starts to glow and their skill and strength immediately improves. It is always best to save power-ups until they are tactically necessary. There isn't much point in increasing the ability of a player who is already very good.

Power-ups are generally best for players who have come into the game as replacements for injury.

That's a cracker! Well, it's Baseball jargon for a land mine actually. Just to spice up things in the field every new inning sees the placing of crackers, spread at random on the pitch. If a fielder hits a cracker it quite naturally explodes and temporarily disables the player. A map of where all the crackers are situated is shown every time new mines are placed. These mines sit visibly on the pitch so unless there are loads of them, or you're blind, there isn't much chance of one exploding.

Because all of the players wear special equipment there are a few little tricks they can pull off, one of which is an uncanny ability to jump exceedingly high. This means that hits that would otherwise be heading for the stands can be reached.

The best way to judge when to jump is to watch the ball's shadow on the pitch. There are jump zones that line the fences and enable the fielder to jump even higher than normal in an attempt to catch the really big hits.

I was keen to get into Super Baseball. The neat futuristic touches separate it from other Baseball games on the Megadrive and the 'easy to control' nature of the game means that initially there is a lot to get enthusiastic about. The graphics succeed in conveying the atmosphere pretty well, and the use of close-ups adds to the thrill.

Having settled in to 2020, though, I got the feeling that much of it is a bit of a hit-or-miss affair. In batting and pitching, it seems as much luck as skill that ensures success. I never felt like I was completely in control of my team.

The more I played, the more I felt I was properly getting to grips with my team but the level of control still left me a bit bemused. In two-player mode, Super Baseball 2020 proves a lot more fun and it is here that Baseball fans are likely to get the most out of it.

The basic gameplay is identical to just about every other Baseball sim on the Megadrive. I do believe that Super Baseball 2020 is probably the best of the bunch. The futuristic scenario adds to the game's atmosphere and all of the cut-scenes are excellent.

The probem I had with the game is that I just couldn't get any tactics together as regards hitting the ball! It all seemed rather random. What's more, when I did hit it, there seemed to be about a 70 percent chance I'd get caught or run out!

I think with more practice, I might have it licked, but I just didn't seem to have the willpower to persevere with the game in one-player mode. For two-player mode fans into the sport, this is the definitive Baseball game for the Megadrive at the moment. But is it worth the wallet-busting £50 price tag? I don't think so.

Presentation 85%
P. There are plenty of options, and stat screens are clearly and simply presented. Excellent cut-screens abound.

Graphics 86%
P. The animation and scrolling are both very fluid. The switch to close-ups of the action is effective.

Sound 78%
P. There are some realistic sound effects.
N. The music proves quite irritating.

Playability 75%
P. The controls are quite easy to get to grips with.
N. Much of the play seems to be a bit hit-and-miss.

Lastability 80%
P. Players wil have stable fun in two-player mode.
N. The lack of real game strategy means it frustrates after a while.

Overall 77%
Probably the best Baseball game on the Megadrive and a lot more fun in two-player, but the lack of complete control over events leaves you feeling frustrated.