Though clearly designed with fans of the sport in mind, even laymen will appreciate the attention to detail. Your players are more than stats sheets. They have photographs and preferences, as well as skills. If you choose to coach a minor college team, you will have a small budget and modest goals set for you. If you choose to coach a powerhouse like Duke or UCLA, the powers that be will have higher expectations for you.

You play this game as an individual coach, not an institution, so you may start with one team and find yourself fired after a poor year or courted by other colleges if you work wonders.

As a coach you can simply simulate the games trusting the computer to make the right calls, or, as in the rest of .400 Studios' excellent sports sims, take a more hands-on approach directing substitutions and calling plays. In the off-season you may find that full-court press you put on a high school star going to waste as the cad decides to go pro instead of pursuing higher education.

With over 300 teams, the game crunches a lot of numbers and runs slowly on machines with modest power. On a 700 MHz rig, a full season can take hours – even if you simulate every game. But if you have the time to put into this title you will find a deep and satisfying simulation.