DEVELOPER: SEGA

PUBLISHER: SEGA

SYSTEM: Sony PlayStation 3

PRICE: $49.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)

Ahh, the Summer Olympics, what a great competition. This year, the world watches intently as dedicated athletes push their personal boundaries for a shot at Olympic history. Meanwhile, other competitors have their Visas rejected by Chinese officials for being 'freethinkers.' Instead of taking an expensive trip to China and supporting the Chinese economy, I'd much rather stay home and play "Beijing 2008" on my PS3.

Nearly 40 events offer couch-aletes the opportunity to bring home the gold in a wide variety of trials including: gymnastics, swimming, archery, kayaking, diving, and track and field. It's even possible to set training schedules for your entire team.

Controlling the action is mostly intuitive, but some events are much more fun than others. For example, running a 100-meter dash seems like it would be easy, but the developers made it challenging by forcing players to alternate between two buttons — left foot, right foot — or repeatedly flick the analog stick left and right.

On the other hand, sumo wrestling basically tosses you into the ring and says to experiment with the controls. Not knowing what to do or how to control your actions makes it easy to drop sumo, which isn't an Olympic sport, anyway, for one of the many other events.

In order to proceed in Olympic mode, your team has to complete daily goals by competing in a series of events. Points are awarded for doing well, and they can be used to upgrade your team's abilities or eliminate fatigue so you don't have to take a rest day. This mode represents what the Olympic games are all about, but players can also join others online by entering the less restricted Competition mode.

Olympic gaming doesn't get any better than "Beijing 2008"

Take a Swing at 'Backyard Baseball 09'

DEVELOPER: Atari

PUBLISHER: Atari

SYSTEM: Nintendo Wii

PRICE: $39.99

ESRB RATING: Everyone

REVIEW RATING: 3.0 (out of 5 stars)

Now that baseball season is in full swing, younger fans of America's favorite pastime can join the action at home by playing "Backyard Baseball 09." Sporting cartoon-style visuals and arcade game play, this title gives youngsters everything they want from a baseball simulation without the complicated baggage.

Budding baseball managers will want to start out with the easy-to-use Season Play mode. While not as complex as that of most baseball series', this mode still lets cyber-managers create their team lineup, view statistics, set the batting order, and trade players.

Other fun modes include Tournament Play for up to eight players, Home run derby for up to four players, and All-Star League for two players. It seems like the only mode missing is online play, which is a rarity on the Wii.

The series is known for its humorous 'kid' versions of professional players, and even more have been included for this iteration — one from every Major League Baseball team. This means that baseball greats such as Ken Griffey Jr. and David Ortiz will join the likes of Babe Ruth for some All-American action!

But it isn't all fun in the sun, as the Wiimote controls are rather inconsistent. Players can 'flick' the Wiimote instead of swinging it like a bat, but this method tends to produce the most errors. It's best to either play the game as if you were playing in real life, or bypass the motion controls altogether.

I also question the choices some of the A.I. players make, such as stealing bases when down by several runs. It also doesn't help that the visuals look completely outdated.

"Backyard Baseball 09" is fun for the entire family and makes a great steppingstone to more complicated baseball series.

REVIEW SCORING SYSTEM

5 stars = Must Have

4 stars = Pretty Good

3 stars = Above Average

2 stars = Bargain Bin

1 star = Don't Bother

RATINGS KEY

Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

E: Everyone

E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)

T: Teen (13 and older)

M: Mature (17 and older)

To find out more about Jeb Haught and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.