Now, I have to admit - as a Canadian, the only time I pay any sort of attention to American university basketball is during NCAA March Madness. I sit up here in my igloo, laughing at the silly US college kids going nuts over some tournament, then I go back to juggling my third and fourth-line wingers in my hockey fantasy pool. The excitement is infectious, though, and Sega's College Hoops 2K4 captures the pageantry and drama involved in getting your team, your school, to the big dance.

First off, the graphics are great. Sharp, detailed, with bright arenas and crowds that create the atmosphere necessary to get the big rivalry feeling across to the gamer. The crowd will roar, stomp their feet, chant and whistle - I can't stress enough how well everything works together. Get that perfectly-timed block off in an away game, and I swear the auditorium visibly sags - it's awesome. The rest of the presentation is top-level as well. Mascots jump around while fight songs blare, cheerleaders flip around like cracked-out pixies, and the commentary provided by Mike Patrick and Jay Bilas follows closely to the action.

How does the game play? Impeccably - the settings right out of the box make its older professional sibling look sick. Enlisting the help of an American friend who actually follows college basketball, we ran down the list of different teams while he explained their strengths and weaknesses, then I took those teams into exhibition play to see how well Sega translated these attributes over. In a word? Impressive. Control is responsive, passing is fluid and the ability to push the fast break makes for a more enjoyable experience here than in NBA. CPU AI is responsible for some dumb moves on occasion, mainly backcourt violations, but these are few and far between. Crossovers are a little more difficult to execute than what I've seen in college ball on TV, but for the most part, Sega's IsoMotion is implemented pretty well, if your player is capable of pulling off certain moves. To help you, there are icons that represent 3-point accuracy, speed and handles right beside each player, putting control squarely in your hands. If you don't like the ratings given for any player in the game, go in and edit it - not a problem. Of course, the gameplay sliders are all here and fully adjustable, so if you don't like the play presented right out of the box, it's up to you to configure percentages and ratings the way you see fit.

College Hoops 2K4 also includes a Rivalry Mode where the big-time college rivalries get their due. If you don't like the school setup as it is, create your own school and customize things your way. Everything from the mascot to the arena name, coach to fight song, it's all under your control and incredibly fun. Of course, in order to win, you need to recruit high school players to your program, and they won't come unless you get your reputation to a point where your school is actually on their radar. You have to be judicious in how you use your invitations - there is a limited number and if you use them up on players who only have marginal interest in your program, you're playing with fire. You can invite potential recruits to watch your divisional games, and you definitely want to put on a good show then, in order to attract their interest. If their interest isn't as high, you can gerrymander things to your favour by inviting them to a non-conference game, and ensure you have a creampuff opponent. High school games are playable as well. You send assistant coachs and scouts to the high school games, watch (or play) the game, and see players develop into top recruits. Players will e-mail you to indicate their current state of interest - if this mode even scratches the surface of being an NCAA coach, it's no wonder most of them have grey hairs.

Unlockable items are found in the Campus Store (think NHL's Skybox or NFL's Crib), so you can find that obscure jersey or team, then put them to work for you. The ESPN Slam Session will suck up the majority of your time if you're not careful, with five different challenge modes that you can play against a friend or the CPU.l Nothing like a good game of HORSE, even when it's raining outside. Online play is solid and relatively lag-free, but there aren't that many players online yet. Hopefully as word grows about this game, we'll see more people playing.

Straight up - NCAA College Hoops is the best basketball game on the market today. The depth of the Legacy mode will keep you busy for months, and it provides the gameplay to match. You can keep the NBA game - as far as I'm concerned, College Hoops 2K4 is the new standard bearer for kick-ass basketball. Now if you'll excuse me, the SFU Clansmen need a new point guard and there's a speed demon at a local high school who I've got my eye on.