Sydney 2000

Developed by Attention To Detail and published by Eidos Interactive, Sydney 2000 was released in that year to coincide with the olympic games that were happening in Australia at the time. Players could compete in 12 events; 100m Sprint, 110m Hurdle, Javelin, Hammer, Triple Jump, High Jump, Skeet Shooting, Weight Lifting, 100m Freestyle Swimming, 10m Platform Diving, Chase Cycling and Kayak K1 Slalom.
Missed it ten years ago but having just played it after getting my paws on a copy I must say that for me its a fun little title. And what with the inclusion of events like diving and skeet shooting the action isn't all on the running track which I found pretty refreshing. Looks wise its not at all shabby, and eventhough some of the characters can be a tad blocky at times it doesn't detract from an otherwise good looking game. All events have television style commentary and replays to watch your world record beater over and over and quite honestly Sydney 2000 is THE best olympic games title ive played. (And ive played a few!)
Controls are the standard button mashing but with diving, weight lifting and skeet shooting there is a need for precision and timing. For example in diving the player selects which dive to perform from a list and must press the correct coloured button during the dive to pull it off with any success. Its a simple but effective way to do it and is very satisfying when one nails it perfectly. On the whole the contols work well and even the hammer, an event which some olypic games titles make frustrating, is made with little fuss.
A downside to Sydney 2000 is the Kayak K1 Slalom. The water looks like running cement and trying to manouver the kayak through all the gates is like attempting to look at your own forehead without a mirror. I found it all but impossible.
Still its only one event out of twelve and thankfully all others are great fun to play.
There is an Arcade mode as well as the Olympic mode so if a quick bash at the 100m Sprint is your thing without having the fuss of qualifying in the full game then you are free to do so. And its just as rewarding whatever mode you opt for.
Best news of all however is that this game can be picked up for beans on the auction sites which means an absolute bargain even without the kayak.