The rules for Pinch Hitter 2 are quite straightforward. The game is played entirely with the mouse for controls. You begin the game with three batters. Ten balls are pitched to your batters. If you strike out or are caught, you lose one of your batters. On the other hand, if you hit a home run, you will be pitched one extra ball. Points are awarded, and when you lose a batter your score is dropped by half. There is a pitcher and outfielders, and the outfielders can be a little sneaky, so be on the watch for odd catches they make.



You can adjust your batter's position in relation to home plate by using the mouse to move the batter closer to the base or farther away. You can also use the mouse to move the bat higher or lower. There are three levels of play: the Sandlot, moving up to Little League and finishing with Major League. Along with the levels, there are 9 tasks that must be completed in order to advance and eventually win.

There are several strategy tips that might help you win at Pinch Hitter 2. One idea is to hit the ball using the end of the bat; it tends to make the ball go farther and can even result in a home run. Another suggestion is to hit the ball as late as possible, so you have the maximum time to adjust to any of the pitcher's quirks that he might use to throw your swing off. It has also been suggested that at the highest levels of play, you might want to consider getting your batter up close to the plate and get in a short shot. This should put a player on first base, after which your batter can step back and hit the next ball hard with the end of the bat to send your player home.

Batting strategies are fairly important in this fun game. On the screen you will see a transparent white shadow rectangle that represents your swing, and which can be manipulated by your mouse to adjust your batter's position. You can take your mouse and adjust your batter's swing so that the white box is halfway between the beginning of the infield grass and the dirt. If you are struggling hitting the ball when you are getting started playing this game, this tip will likely help you tremendously.

Give this enormously fun game a try, and you will be hooked.