The 2004 Summer Olympic Games are nearly upon us. If you can't get to Athens, Greece, and want more interaction than simply watching the events on TV, 989 Sports and Eurocom Entertainment have teamed together to bring you Athens 2004. With the International Olympic Committee license, Athens 2004 provides a very sim-like experience. However, the core gameplay is very similar to the classic Konami series, Track & Field.

Athens 2004 features several different modes of play. There are several single player modes to choose from. One allows you to practice any of the 25 featured events one at a time if you just want a quick play. You can also go through several pre-selected sets of events such as the men's two-day ten-event set, the women's two-day seven-event set, or the various decathlon-style sets. Then you've got the entire 25 event competition that goes through all of the events back-to-back, and if you're not feeling a few of the events, you can even create your own custom Olympics with whatever events you wish.

While you won't find all of the Summer Olympic events, Athens does cover most of the popular ones. You'll be able to try your hand at all of the various track and field events in both men's and women's, all of the swimming events, skeet shooting, javelin throw, discus throw, and archery. Many of the events will have very similar controls. For example, most of the track and swimming events will have you pressing the X and O buttons in order to run. The faster you tap the buttons, the faster you'll run. In addition, some of the other events use a more unique control scheme, such as the classic DDR four arrows arrangement for the floor exercises.

For some players, the more unique controls may be a bit awkward at times. Attempting to get the fastest rhythm, while maintaining maximum comfort can be a chore in some events. It's not too bad though, and most players should have a comfortable hand position after a few attempts at certain events.

As with any game of this type, after a short period of time, your fingers will get tired. You can only press X and O rapidly for so long before you begin to lose your rhythm and speed. Unfortunately, the game isn't very forgiving. Most players will find it difficult to finish first or even top three in some events, no matter how hard they work the buttons. Athens 2004 makes up for some of this by offering a skill-based challenge in several of the events, but the Summer Olympics are heavy on running, and your fingers won't be happy about it.

Apart from the single-player modes, there is also a Challenge mode for up to four players that will allow you to go right at the official Olympic and World Records for each event. There's also a Party mode that will allow up to four players to make use of a dance pad accessory that can be purchased separately. The dance pad can be used for ten events and really brings you back to the old school NES days with the Power Pad. This is probably the best aspect of the game, and where you'll likely have the most fun. However, even this mode gets tiresome unless you've trained your body with some Dance Dance Revolution.

While Eurocom was definitely going for more of a realistic feel with Athens 2004, one thing really holds it back. The graphics are well below PlayStation 2 standards. With a game like Athens 2004 that doesn't have a lot of effects going on, and is really just a few character models and a moderately detailed background, these graphics just don't cut it. Most of the character models look very blocky, and may remind some of PSone games that came out in the year before the PS2 launched. When you compare Athens 2004 to just about any PS2 game that's released in the past two years, it looks very lackluster.

If you're a fan of the Olympic Games, Athens 2004 should give you everything you need from a videogame. However, everyone else needs to remember a few things before picking this one up. If you're playing the game alone keep in mind there is no online play at all, and it may only be fun for a short period of time. The best way to enjoy Athens 2004 is with a multitap, four dance pads, and three friends. If you have this kind of setup and are an Olympic freak, expect to have a fun time with Athens 2004.