Double Dribble

STORY / GAMEPLAY
Double Dribble is a sports (basketball) video game that offers an arcade-style gameplay. It's a full 5 Vs 5 game, but after a while someone may notice that it's really a 3 Vs 3 since two players from each team always seem to do nothing at the other end of the basketball court! Each match is fast and intense though, with either a human or a computer opponent. Note that there are a few certain spots in the court from which is more easy to score points. For example, it is easier to try a 3 point shot from the bottom right side corner of the screen! The game's popularity is based on its unique for their time animation sequences that show players performing slam dunks. But frequently you will surely miss a slam dunk depending on how close you are to a defending opponent. The player can dribble, shoot from every position (that means air-balls as well), dunk, defend, pass, steal and commit fouls. You have the ability to switch your active player and select another to either defend or shoot. Double Dribble is an arcade game and not a sports simulator so don't expect any team management options and, if you're OK with that, you'll surely enjoy some slam dunking good times. Fairly solid if nothing outstanding! This game was entertaining enough when it made its debut on the NES in 1987 (a years after the original Konami's arcade) but ported a little late to the Amiga and the PC, in 1990.

GRAPHICS / SOUND
The DOS conversion is naturally inferior to the arcade original in terms of graphics and sound quality, but it does retain the fun even if the keyboard interface is very awkward and cannot be re-mapped to your preferences. The graphics and sound are both great, though sometimes you may have trouble knowing which player you control. The game supports either EGA or CGA graphics (see the screens). The courts are colorful and include all the basic details while the players move fast and, although their tiny size, are beautifully animated. Sound-wise, AdLib sound hardware is supported and gives us some nice sampled sound effects like ball bouncing, netball swish during slam dunks etc, although some of the original and the Amiga sounds are missing from the DOS port.