What's Good	What's Bad	4.5 out of 5.0
Lots of things to do on the court. Intelligent computer opponent.	Gameplay might be a little slow for hardcore gamers.

Unlike NBA Live, which has always been a console game first and a computer game second, NBA Inside Drive is built with nothing but the computer gamer in mind. Microsoft’s "recommended" system, a Pentium 266 MHz system with 32MB of RAM and a 2MB video card, should be more than adequate for this game. However, a Microsoft Sidewinder Gamepad is all but a requirement for this and other Microsoft sports games, as the controls are specifically designed to utilize the unique functions of this device.

Like its EA counterpart, you may choose to replay a game, a season, or the playoffs. The game interface is flashy, yet easy to use. A basketball graphic precedes each screen that you enter before you choose to begin a game, and there are a vast array of options to enhance your gameplaying experience, including executing trades, checking the stats of prospective starters, and changing your starting lineup. Do you think you can get the Seattle Supersonics to the playoffs? Go ahead and try. Included with the game is a playbook that was culled from actual NBA coaches’ books, and unlike NBA Live you may actually find yourself using these plays.

The best new feature of the game itself is the ability to play as one player the entire game. Unlike NBA Live, which automatically switches from player to player as you pass the ball, Inside Drive allows you to post up underneath with Patrick Ewing, lose your opponent’s defense and call for an open pass beyond the 3-point line with Reggie Miller, jostle for position under the basket with Jayson Williams, and in general do all the little things that real-life NBA players do when they don’t have the ball. On defense, you need to be extra-vigilant, because the computer opponent will run right around you if you let him, and then pass to the same guy on the next play and run around you again.

There are several available camera angles available, but I highly recommend using the overhead angle as much as possible. The sideline cam may be more fun to watch, since it is basically the same camera angle used most of the time in NBA games, but it is extremely hard to pick up an attempted drive from this angle, and you’ll too often find yourself watching your opponent execute a dunk while you’re scrambling to catch up. Free throw attempts are also shot from a variety of angles, but it makes no difference here which one you use because success or failure is determined by a couple of mouse-clicks.

Did I mention fouls? Yes, that’s right, the computer opponent will actually foul you if you attempt a high percentage shot or otherwise just juke your defender out of his shoes. The AI knows that an undefended shot in the paint will usually result in a basket, and it will do everything in its power to deny your entry pass or dribble drive. Likewise, if it finds a route to an easy bucket, it will continue to take that route until you figure out how to stop it.

All these things make the game a wonderfully deep and rich game for sports computer gamers. However, if you don’t watch pro basketball enough to know the trends and tendencies of NBA teams, this game will prove to be very hard. In addition, you don’t get to knock a player all over the court with Inside Drive the way you can with NBA Live or the old NBA Jam series. Steal attempts result in hand-slap type fouls, and while this is much more realistic than knocking your opponent 15 feet and taking the ball, it isn’t quite as exciting.

If you’re playing multiplayer, this can be a pretty hefty limitation if you’re playing against someone who knows more about Quake II than basketball. Also, you’ll quickly find that pushing the ball up the court with long passes is a bad idea. This is true in the NBA, but when your human opponent is checking you in the backcourt it can be all too tempting to pass it forward. Still, if your human opponent is a basketball fan, you will find multiplayer as fun to play as basketball is to watch. One of the great enhancements of the Sidewinder Gamepad is the fact that you can link multiple pads up to one computer, so you can trash-talk with live opponents to your heart’s content.

Since it is a sports game, NBA Inside Drive 2000 is largely suitable for all ages of basketball fans, although those under 10 or 11 will probably be frustrated by the depth of play. Basketball is a largely non-violent game, and the game is fortunately free of the tirades and tantrums that mar its real-life counterpart.

In short, NBA Inside Drive 2000 is the most realistic basketball simulation on the market today. If that’s what you’re looking for, then you won’t be disappointed. If you want a strict unrealistic arcade gaming experience, however, this may not be the game for you.