(IDG) -- Microsoft Baseball 3D is a grand-looking game: Direct3D support brings out the full glory of its exquisitely rendered players and stadiums. Visually, this is the most impressive baseball game out there; and in a field glutted with contenders, that's a big edge.

The motion-captures of the players, the immediate recognizability of their scanned faces, and the accurate body builds and stances create a convincing world of major league baseball. Of all the baseball titles currently on deck, B3D does the best job of providing an immersive, "Gee, I'm actually looking at baseball" experience.

The trouble is, Microsoft still has work to do before the gameplay matches the graphics. The ball physics are not perfect, and you'll see a lot of laser line-drives blaze over the infield only to drop supernaturally fast in the outfield. The pitcher-batter duel, which is the heart of baseball, is kind of flat in its presentation here, with perhaps a bit less insight and innovation than in competitors like HardBall 6 or Triple Play 99. And the trend toward an intuitive, transparent pitcher-batter interface hasn't yet made its way to Microsoft: the game remains very menu-driven and Windowsy.

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B3D's transfixing graphics have earned it a place in the bigs; now Microsoft needs to ramp up the gameplay to ensure that players stick around. Unless you just can't resist the looks, I'd recommend waiting until the next version, which'll hopefully inject as much excitement into its gameplay as its graphics.

Ratings:

Overall: C+

Gameplay: C

Getting Started: B

Graphics: A-

Sound Check: B-

Multiplayer: C+

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