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You've got to hand it to Konami. The console team sports game market is dominated by the behemoths of the industry, EA Sports and 989 Sports (Sony), yet Konami continues to try to create a niche with its baseball, soccer, hockey and basketball offerings.

In same cases, such as the outstanding International Superstar Soccer Pro series, Konami succeeds mightily. In fact, ISS Pro 98 simply blows away any title in EA Sports' FIFA series when it comes to realism and playability. But in other cases, such as the horrendous Blades of Steel 2000, Konami fails woefully to loosen the grip of EA and 989 Sports over team sports' games on the PlayStation.

Konami's most recent pro basketball game, NBA In The Zone 2000, falls into the latter category. It's filled with flaws in nearly every department. The gameplay of In The Zone 2000 is peculiar, to say the least. For starters, the shooting percentages are way too high by both the human- and computer-controlled teams. I consistently shot 60 percent from the floor, and the CPU teams shot 75 percent or better. That's simply not accurate in the brick-laden world that disguises itself as the modern NBA. Those high percentages partially are created by the unrealistic lack of blocks by both the human- and computer-controlled players, but bad programming by Konami's in-house developer, KCEO, accounts for most of the shoddy realism.

Free-throw shooting percentages also are woefully inaccurate because of a simple interface. A vertical bar climbs up, and players simply press a button to stop it in the sweet spot. But don't count on scoring many free throws despite the simple interface because there are hardly any fouls committed in this game by either the human- or computer-controlled teams, at any skill level.

The artificial intelligence of computer-controlled players on the human and CPU teams is just plain strange at times. For example, I was playing as the San Antonio Spurs in one game when Tim Duncan set up out of bounds on an inbounds play. Now I know that the NBA had a drug problem, but that was in the 1970s. Shoddy programming like this is just inexcusable. The poor AI continues on defense. There is no help defense programmed into this game, much like the hideous Final Four 2000 college hoop game by 989 Sports. If a CPU player blows past your human-controlled defender, wave adios, watch the scoreboard light up with two points and get ready for an inbounds pass. Also cross your fingers that your top player doesn't set up out of bounds, either.

There are a few positive gameplay aspects of NBA In The Zone 2000. First, all rules are tweakable, letting players tailor their preferences. Despite the poor help defense, CPU players will stop when confronted by a human defender on a drive to the hoop, kicking out the ball to a player on the perimeter in realistic fashion. That's a nice touch that's lacking in many PlayStation basketball games.

Another strong point is a nice variety of rebounds. Errant shots will bounce high off the iron or rim out, and some shots will rebound long, giving guards a realistic number of rebounds. This is a refreshing touch from the insane rebounding physics of both EA Sports' NBA Live 2000 and 989 Sports' Final Four 2000. Finally, player substitutions are handled smartly by the computer. For example, when playing with San Antonio, the computer inserted sharpshooter Steve Kerr into the game when I trailed by five late in the game in an attempt to drain some three-pointers and catch up. That's smart programming.

The control of NBA In The Zone 2000 is the game's strongest suit, for many reasons. Starting with the controller, buttons can be mapped individually. This is a great and sorely needed touch for a console basketball game. The buttons are work well and have quick response, especially the effective fake button.

Konami also gave players complete flexibility when setting up the game. Quarters can last from two to 12 minutes, at one-minute intervals. Players can change numbers and alter lineups. The season mode features trades and free agents, and any or all games can be simulated to expedite the regular season. Playoff series formats can be set to 1-1-1-1, 1-3-3-3, 3-5-5-5 and the standard 5-7-7-7 format now used by the NBA.

The best control feature of this game is the Create Player mode. When creating a player, gamers have control over every aspect of a player's appearance, including height, weight, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, skin, birth date, apparel such as wristbands, etc. Player skills also are adjustable in nearly every category imaginable, including passing, shooting, ballhandling, dunking, steals, rebounding, blocks, stamina, speed, strength, jumping and ability to play in the clutch. This level of realism is unsurpassed in any other create-a-player mode that I've seen in any other console game. It's exceptional.

NBA In The Zone is not a pretty game. Player models lack any definition. Maybe that's why the default camera angle is so far from the court compared to other PlayStation basketball games. You feel like you're sitting in the upper deck of the arena when using the default angle. The framerate of the game is very slow and choppy, with more stutter than Mel Tillis during an interview on "Hee Haw."

But there are a few nice graphical touches. The courts look good, with accurate markings and the reflection of banks of lights shining on the wooden floors. Various shades of hardwood also are evident. The replays are excellent, with a variety of camera angles providing interesting views of the action. There also are fine player animations, such as players sometimes raising their hands to the scorer's table after committing a foul.

It's too bad that the gameplay and graphics of NBA In The Zone are so mediocre because the game does have some staying power thanks to two modes: Three-Point Shootout and Dunk Contest. The Three-Point Shootout is a standard long-distance shooting contest, similar to that in NBA Live 2000. It's good fun. The Dunk Contest is a unique wrinkle that's a real winner. Players can choose one of selected NBA players and perform various dunks. Judges then score each dunk, and players with top scores win the contest. The Dunk Contest tests human players' daring and creativity as they attempt to perform an awe-inspiring dunk to dazzle the judges. This mode was great fun.

The sound of NBA In The Zone 2000 is nothing special. There's a lifeless, fairly quiet loop of crowd noise. The arena announcer is muffled and hard to understand. Otherwise, the standard squeaking of sneakers and swishing sounds are present. But nothing bowled me over with quality.

Konami keeps plugging away, trying to create a solid basketball game. But it obviously has a long way to go, if NBA In The Zone 2000 is any indication. This game needs a complete overhaul from the gameplay ground up if it has any chance to compete with NBA Live 2000 and NBA Shootout 2000.

This was not a good year for accurate pro basketball simulations on the PlayStation, as both Live 2000 and Shootout 2000 were plagued by critical flaws in certain areas. NBA In The Zone 2000 is the worst of the bunch by far, which is sort of like saying that the Aries was the worst K-car you could buy in the early 80s. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.