The Backyard sports franchise still does what it has always done best: provide simple game play for children who want to play sports games, but aren’t ready for the big leagues. There is even a bit of graph reading as kids choose ups sides, though it hardly counts as a math lesson.

I'm reviewing Mario Super Sluggers in the Children's Software Section, though it might equally fit in the Games Section. However, the marks might be very different. Although it is a sports game, Mario Super Sluggers is not the kind of deep, rich, challenging baseball game hardcore sports freaks are looking for. I suppose most of them would have gotten that from the anthropromorphic mushrooms, dragons and fairy princesses on the cover, but I promise you some gamer sites will evaluate this program as if it was designed for dorm room play.