It would be unreasonable to expect a major breakthrough with Summer Athletics 2009, since the athletics didn't chance a bit since the latest release, but at least in terms of visual effects one is entitled to hope for a boost. Taking into account the way its predecessor looked like, this seems like an easy task, but from the very beginning I was clearly unimpressed. You can fine tune your athlete, choosing his race, nationality, hair color, facial features and so on, but the result is downright demoralizing. There is no chance he will ever resemble a human being, and trying to make him look like a certain person is futile.

It is of course possible to choose from a predefined list, but since World Championships are mostly about countries competing against other countries it's unlikely one will resist the temptation of customizing his athlete. For most of the time though, you'll be watching him from behind as he competes in various races and you'll be too busy pressing buttons at a frantic pace to admire your creation. Winning a race or an event will result in a sudden display of joy, but unfortunately the same animations are used over and over again for celebration and disappointment.

Once you're done with customizing your contestant you'll be ready to compete in one of the 28 disciplines included in Summer Athletics 2009, either as a solo event or in a specified or custom competition made up of any combination of events. I would strongly advice against jumping into a major contest, because the weak tutorials will leave you puzzled and it's most likely that the result will be catastrophic. It is basically a trial and error endeavor, trying to find the appropriate rotation in most of the events, since the  instructions given before each race are not very accurate and will frequently leave you guessing about what to do next.

There are two ways this game can be played, Arcade and Pure, providing you with the option of choosing between a more dynamic style or the conservative way, preserving the essence of the discipline. Skills are slightly boosted in the Arcade mode and in theory this should make each race more exciting, while the Pure mode relies heavily on skill and coordination. I must confess my preference goes for the latter, since the game itself vaguely resemblance the real thing and I've tried hard to preserve the spirit of the actual discipline.