Madden NFL 07 (Xbox 360)

Madden NFL 07 (Xbox 360)

Old Man Madden is now approaching instalment number 20 as far as the American Football games go, and the constantly evolving series is back in 2006 for another punt with the prophetically-titled Madden NFL 2007.

That's about as 'future' as this game gets, however, with the gameplay pretty much left alone from last time (nothing wrong with that) and just a sprinkling of new features added to the modern Madden experience.

Those new features alongside old favourites such as the Hall of Fame Mode, Authentic Defensive NFL Playbooks and the Franchise Mode, make this year's model a worthwhile purchase.

The all-new lead blocker controls allow you, for the first time ever, to throw the perfect block to create a hole in the opposition defence, thus letting you gain a huge advantage should you get it right. 'Neat-o!' as they say.

Player-specific running moves are featured too, allowing you to elude or knock down defenders with new jukes and power moves.

So it's massive in America (well, duh!) but still - after all these years - something of an acquired taste over the pond in Europe, but bless EA and its little tube socks for making things simple for those not entirely au fait with the finer points of this sport. Rookies are directed toward the 'Ask Madden' button in-game. If the old fella can't advise you of the best play to make, no-one can.

The controls can be a little overwhelming at first - there are many different jinks and moves to make - and all with just one controller. However, once into the swing of things, and the stop/start nature of the sport, NFL 07 gets under the skin. Its plethora of game modes signals great longevity, and the chance to 'be' an NFL superstar on and off the field is within your reach in Madden NFL 07.

Americans still say things like 'Go for it!' don't they? To sum up, Madden NFL 07 is definitely the one to get if you're looking for an authentic, deep game of American Football.

No other publisher gets near the detail and playability of these games, so do yourself a favour, stop faffing about, and take the plunge.

"Please note that this product is a genuine Microsoft factory-sealed product. With its original Certificate of Authenticity.  However, this product may not meet the expectations of a Video Game collector due to potential wear to the original cellophane wrap."