Can we congratulate Acclaim's Texan studio for the quality of its flooring? It's sensational. You may wonder how this is relevant to the basketball experience but listen: how can they possibly know enough about numbers to program PS2 this well and understand 50+ years of basketball stats?

Jam features classic team line-ups from the 1950s to the present day. It's exhaustively detailed and will delight fans, of which we know one. Even the PS2 struggles to remember all the stats, audibly scratching through its digital yearbooks to find the 3D face of the next player - the loading slows team selection to a frustrating crawl.

But happily, even complete novices can get into this game and, what's more, score in style. Three baskets in a row rewards players with the minute-long 'on fire' boost, a potentially horrible occurrence where your baller spontaneously combusts and, mercifully, becomes even better at basketball rather than dropping to his knees in agony and melting the varnish on those lovely floors.

There's absolutely tons to unlock, including secret teams and a slew of cheats - one of which is a comedy big head mode. Unfortunately, it's unlikely you'll see all of this before you slump to the floor and refuse to go on. The high-scoring matches and absurd moves certainly entertain for a while but the distinct lack of depth soon starts to drag. Much like MTV, it's kind of endearing... while it lasts.

Graphics 80%
Slick, smooth and cartoonishly stylish.

Sound 70%
Like the real squeaking of trainers.

Gameplay 60%
Manic, amusing but ultimately shallow.

Lifespan 60%
Tons of choice, but will you stick at it? Nope.

Overall 60%
NBA Jam is approachable for such a well-stacked game, delivering instant fun at the expense of longevity.