If you are looking for a game that doesn't have much substance, but is good fun to play while it lasts, then Virtua Athlete is the ideal game. Based around the Sydney Olympics, Sega's attempt at the Olympic gold is unfortunately more a bronze when compared to the likes of Sydney 2000 and International Track and Field. This is not to say that the game is a complete shambles: the finely polished game does shine graphically, and what it does concentrate on, it does well. In Virtua Athlete the events follow the standard range, 100m Dash, Long Jump, 110m Hurdles, Shot Put, High Jump, Javelin and the finger numbing 1,500m are all present as you work your way through the seven events to be crowned with gold medals.
There are five difficult levels to challenge yourself with and if that wasn't enough, Sega have included the option to download, and upload, race data to a World Network Ranking System on Dreamarena.
If you are looking for a well-polished game, glorious eye candy and great pick up and play options then Virtua Athlete will definitely fill those needs. If however, a range of depth is more your game then one of the other Olympic titles might be better suited.--Stuart Miles
