AND 1 is undoubtedly the biggest name in streetball, so I cant be blamed for having high expectations for their greatly anticipated basketball game. I mean, they own the rights to one of the most street credible brands of clothing, dozens of mixtapes that sell by the truckload and now a videogame that's ambitiously competing with EA's awesome NBA Street series.

Ambition is certainly a word that hangs over AND 1 Streetball - it embodies a lot of what makes the street basketball culture so popular and overtly aims to please the type of people who like to watch their mixtapes and wear their clothes. For example, when creating a baller you can choose from an extensive range of clothing (which can be unlocked as you go along) while you listen to basketball related lyrics on the hip hop tracks that thump in the background. Even when you are moving from selection to selection in the menu system your speakers blare out the sound of decks being scratched.

AND 1 has been thoroughly polished with regards to the presentation - the music, clothing accessories and menu system are all spot on - but unfortunately the actual gameplay doesn't share the same level of panache. That's not to say it's bad though - far from it - the sheer amount of dribble moves on offer is unreal and they are all animated convincingly and performed with great fluidity when they become familiar. The pace, the passes and the dunks aren't too bad either, although the way your opponents act and react is what can only be referred to as dusty (if I stick to the polished metaphor). The computer AI is extremely unrealistic - at times it is superhuman and other times it is clumsier than an obese tightrope walker.

The clumsy times are the least frustrating, when your opponent dribbles the ball constantly, without passing to any of the other players until the shot clock runs out and you regain possession of the ball via their stupidity. It's much worse when your opponents become superhuman though, diving for loose balls much quicker than any thumb could ever react in order to press the correct button to do so. It happens all the time and diving for seems to be the only way to gain possession of the ball (aside from a scored basket or that sudden lust for dribbling from your opponent) so it can't be ignored. In fact, I lost so many games in a row, due to one last superhuman leap by the computer to retrieve the ball and score the game-deciding basket, that I had to take a break to keep my sanity.

This isn't the only problem either; it's almost impossible to block a shot, while you have to complete various sub tasks and win the game in order to progress to the next one. For example, you may need to get three steals and win the game in order to continue - stealing is tricky to carry out yet it is imperative that you do this (rather than just getting an extra rewaed or something) to move on. I don't mean to say that AND 1 doesn't have any good points in the gameplay department - but it is very frustrating to play against the computer and while playing against a friend you cannot unlock any of the items or goodies on offer. Changing the difficulty level doesn't help too much either - choosing between Easy, Medium and Hard is basically just choosing between catastrophically clumsy opponents, clumsy opponents with lightening fast reactions and basketball gods that never lose.

Generally speaking if a game has such frustrating gameplay then I'll give it a miss, no matter how polished the rest of it is- but I will plod on for those of you who can ignore the aggravating experience when there are other rewarding things to mess about with and master. As I hinted before, AND 1 Streetball certainly caters for people who like dribbling. Not only does it have a catalogue of tricks from the mixtapes but it is much more versatile and fun to use than the dribbling system in NBA Street V3. AND 1's method (the I-Ball control system) allows the gamer to utilise the analogue sticks to perform various moves. The harder the move is, the more disorientated the defender becomes, and this fills up the ankle-breaker meter, which once full gives you the opportunity to perform another I-Ball move (with the use of the turbo button as well as the analogues) that will send them stumbling off their feet quicker than a pint of absinth! This final move is presented in slow motion, so you can watch the skill and the humiliation in all its glory (and it is reminiscent of the presentation of the mixtapes), therefore dribble move junkies may forgive some of the more frustrating aspects of the gameplay. This at least shows the developers have tried to be innovative rather than just copying the system that NBA Street V3 uses (although it would be nice if the NBA Street series, ahem, borrowed this I-Ball system for future outings!), it's just a crying shame they couldn't get the AI balance right.

The graphics aren't too bad either - they won't have your jaw dropping to the concrete but they're far from something to complain about. The music will please those who embody the streetball culture but the number of tracks is noticeably limited and can get repetitive quickly. The sound effects are above average, but the players talk too much and their repertoire of trash talking is also noticeably limited. The game types aren't as innovative and varied as NBA Street V3's (for example dunk-only games) but they are different - you can select from one-on-one all the way up to 5-on-5. What I would have liked to see though is the ability to make your own mixtape using highlights from your best games. This isn't possible, but you can create your own finisher-like moves before you start playing. This is done by selecting various combinations of dribbling moves and then the final slam or lay-up that follows. You can then perform what you have created during the game by building up enough trick points, moving to the correct spot on the court and pressing R2. The player then takes over doing the move as you watch, which is simple and fun to watch a few times but it doesn't feel interactive enough. You can opt to press L2 instead and go into on-fire mode, which makes all your players more skilful and move faster, but this isn't a guaranteed way to score like the other option - so you tend to almost always use the easy way.

The loading times between games are refreshingly fast but if you decide to have a rematch it has to load everything again (which is why i got so frustrated at always losing in the final few seconds). The loading times between each aspect of modifying your baller is too frequent and long, but this doesn't ruin the game, it just slows you down and makes personalising your character a chore, rather than a neat way of keeping the game fresh. If you ignore the many niggles (and the huge AI problem) then this game will probably last you a long time - at least long enough to wait until the next AND 1 Streetball or NBA Street comes out. However, I have given it a sub-par lifespan score as it won't last you very long if you get as frustrated as I did - just make sure you play the two player mode more often than against the computer!

AND 1 Streetball took a bold leap. It managed to be innovative in many respects and didn't rely on copying NBA Street to create some brilliant gameplay aspects. The I-Ball control system is one of the best features to be included in a basketball game and will make those who feel that dribbling is an art form maybe a little too excited. However, the problems with the AI and the fact that you have to perform sub tasks rather than just winning the game to progress is too frustrating to ignore and almost ruins the gaming experience entirely. The positive thing to take from all this is that it doesn't need a huge overhaul for next time around - they just need to tweak the gameplay and the goals you have to reach to have a rewarding time. However, for now I would stick with NBA Street, which is still without doubt the daddy of all basketball games.

Reviewed by Liam Bennion for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).