Madden NFL 97

Sega Genesis owners may have been I concerned when Madden Football finally made the jump to 32-Bit, thinking that technology had passed them by. leaving them in the dust of progress. There's no need for them to fear, however, since EA Sports is releasing Madden NFL '97 for the Genesis this fall; and with all the greatest elements of Madden collected in one game, this should be the best 16-Bit Madden yet.

This time around, Madden and the folks at EA have revamped the artificial intelligence, resulting in a higher degree of challenge when playing against the computer. The inclusion of full NFL penalties like Holding, Roughing the Passer and Offensive Pass Interference makes for an even greater challenge.

Fortunately, it is possible to adjust the levels of the penalties from the Options Screen. This allows gamers to fine-tune the level of difficulty, even to the extent of being able to turn off the penalties altogether. They can also choose between Pro and All-Madden levels of difficulty.

In addition, players can now become fatigued over the course of the game. Gamers have the option of having the computer make automatic substitutions when this occurs, or go in and make the changes themselves. Managerial options also include the ability to draft, trade and create players.

Over 100 teams are included, consisting of every present-day team as well as over 70 All-Star teams and all-time Madden teams. A playbook of over over 400 plays personally selected by John Madden himself makes for a great variety of gameplay. and the ability to save instant replays of the gamers' best plays allows players to create their own highlight films.

This latest installment should convince skeptics that EA hasn't slacked off on their support of 16-Bit platforms. It's likely that the Madden legacy will continue as long as the market allows.

MANUFACTURER - EA Sports

DIFFICULTY - Variable

THEME - Sport

NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1 - 4