Brett Hull Hockey '95

Good day, and welcome to the latest Sport Accolade entry into the hockey genre. Al Michaels is behind the microphone again this year, and Brett Hull is still one of the best players in the game.

The player animations are bigger and the NHL Player's Association license is a real plus for fans of the NHL. If you love the game of hockey and enjoy fast-action sports games, you won't be disappointed with this game. At Michaels, a future hall-of-fame announcer and one of the hosts of Monday Night Football really adds to the game and makes you feel as if you are actually on the ice participating in the play. Michaels doing the play-by-play is incredible, and it really gets you into the game. But if you get tired of his voice or the sound effects, you can mute them by selecting mute on the Options Screen. The different organ music in each of the arenas combined with the crowd noise adds to the realism of the game. You can lay out members of the opposing team with some big-time hip and body checks that will send them reeling and heading for an ice bag and a trip to thejacuzzi. The player animations have been worked on and are bigger than last year. The play control has also been improved.

When you stop your player quickly, you can see a stream of fresh ice fly off of his skates.

Attention to the finer aspects of the game, including the realistic bounces of the puck, add to the enjoyment of Sport Accolade's latest hockey product.

You can play a single exhibition game or a full season, choosing from either two-, five-, 10- or 20-minute periods.

The basics of hockey (passing, shooting and skating) are stressed. You can't just sit down with it and in 10 minutes have the score 9 to 8 like you can in some other games. Just like the real game, you have to learn how to pass, skate and shoot, and it takes some time to become good. Brett Hull even pops up between periods to give you advice on how to outwit the other team and what he thinks you can improve on either to catch up or to stay on top. Hockey purists will enjoy this fast-paced hockey game.

MANUFACTURER - Accolade THEME - Sport NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1 or 2