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Truth be told, I've never really played Madden Football since my days on my old Commodore 64. I never really wanted to because I was so enamoured with another football title that was available on the PC at the time that had so much more to offer in terms of gameplay. Maddens come a long way, but its also has been a very long road. What does Madden NFL '99 have to offer for gamers and more importantly is it enough to make a run for the crown? Here's a quick peek:

Madden NFL '99 offers a number of different modes to play. Game modes that are available are:

• Practice - Allows you to practice offensive or defensive plays. "Player Info" is a nice feature to have selected because this mode marks on the field where each person is supposed to be for the play you have called.
• Season - Allows you to play a complete season with additional seasons available for play using your current roster. One interesting thing to note is that in this mode you get additional video and commentary from James Brown back in the studio. Something that would have been nice for franchise mode as well.
• Franchise - You control it all, roster moves such as trades and signing players as well as a 4 round draft.
• Tournament - Allows you to set up an 8 or 16 team single elimination tournament.
• Fantasy Draft - Allows you to hold a 48 round draft then play a 4, 8 or 16 team tournament.

Whichever mode you choose to play, most things will remain the same throughout. Playcalling consists of selecting a formation, then choosing another aspect of that formation, such as adding an extra tight end, or using a 3 wide receiver set. Next, you are given a screen with 3 plays to choose from. You have a total of nine plays per formation you choose along with an innovative way to choose the other six that are not displayed on screen.

Instant Replay gets a mention here because it's done well. The mouse is used like the telestrator that Madden uses on his broadcasts. Moving right to left will move the action to forward and reverse modes. You can also advance frame by frame using the mouse as well. You can target a particular spot on the field, rotate the camera, zoom in and out and even adjust the height to which you view the play on the field.

Madden NFL `99's gameplay is very good. It feels like football from the opening screen. Offensively, you have a wide variety of moves at your discretion. Playing quarterback gives you a definite weapon if you use your pump fake. As a running back, using your spin move and juke can be equally as dangerous, freeing you up for extra yardage and maybe even a score or two. Madden '99 will challenge your play calling in that if you begin to "go to the well" to often, the defensive AI will make you pay more often than not. For example, I ran a screen play to my wideout Chris Carter for a touchdown early in the game in a particular formation. I then tried it again later for a nice gain. When I came up in that formation and tried it again, the corner came up and stuffed it for a two-yard loss because he followed my receiver behind the line. The same can be said in your favor though. In another instance I was in a I formation, and stuffing the ball down the defenses throat with some inside runs. On the next play in the same formation, I did a play action fake to my halfback and promptly hit my wide out for a nice gain. Defensively, I enjoy the ability to shift the defensive line as well as move the secondary into a different coverage. Madden offers good clock management and playcalling for the offenses AI. I noted many times that when time was short, whether it be at the half or towards the end of the game, the AI would make good use of the available time. The offenses AI also pinned me in with nice coffin kicks as well. One thing that also happened on a consistent basis is that I showed the tendency to blitz from my right side. In the game, the computers AI started using rollouts away from the pressure to give the quarterback more time! Overall, the AI for the defense is done very well and the offensive AI is good at keeping you on your toes. You'll find yourself in for quite a challenge at the All-Pro settings for the AI when you play.

Madden NFL '99's staying power will ultimately be decided on how good gamers feel the franchise mode is. Even if you can play multiple seasons, it just isn't the same when it's the same lineup every year. Franchise mode offers you the ability to see players retire, draft new ones, as well as sign free agents and make trades. One of the features I particularly like is reading through the league news after a game to see who's on the coaching hot seat. The draft consists of four rounds with player ratings changing from season to season, marking improvement or decline of your player's talents. Players have salaries, which makes choosing who to keep and who to let go that much tougher because of the salary cap. You can also get into off-season bidding wars to sign players for your team. Overall just adding this functionality gives Madden NFL '99 more longevity than it's had in quite some time. How well it stands up will be up for gamers to decide.

Offensively, you are given a wide variety of options to consider. Before the snap of the ball you can view your receivers and defensive formations, fake the snap count or call an audible using pre-defined calls you set before the game. Once the ball is snapped and pitched to a running back the options change, giving you the ability to:

• Juke a defender
• Use a speed burst to get to the corner or up through the line faster
• Stiff arm with either the left or right arm
• Jump or hurdle over a pile
• Do a Spin move (one of my favorites)
• Dive for extra yardage
• Lateral to the nearest teammate

If the ball is left in the quarterbacks hands, you have the option of throwing the ball away if the defenders are on you. Be aware that intentional ground can and does get called. I know from personal experience. After calling up the passing symbols which show you which button to push for which receiver, you can either throw the ball to the numbered receiver or pump fake then throw the ball. This also brings up another point in regards to the passing game. With my buttons renumbered, when calling up the passing symbols, the buttons revert back to the default settings. This can become somewhat confusing and may take a few exhibition games or practice time to get used to. Madden NFL 99 also gives you the option of using directional passing which allows you to "read" the defense by moving the gamepad left or right to highlight a receiver instead of using a particular button to throw to a receiver. This mode of passing is somewhat tough in my opinion, simply because you may actually run yourself into a sack while moving left or right trying to cycle through to a receiver. Whichever method you choose, some things will always be the same. For instance, with Maddens "touch passing", the longer you hold the button, the harder the pass. You'll also get a yellow target symbol that marks the spot where the reception should take place. If you choose to take control of the intended receiver you can dive or jump for the pass by choosing the respective button. Once the ball is caught, you will revert to the same button setup that is used for running the ball.

Defensively, while the choices aren't as extensive as on offense, they have a few wrinkles that aren't available in other football sims. Besides the ability to cycle through defenders, you can call an audible and shift the defensive line or move the secondary into bump and run coverage. After the snap of the ball, you can use swim moves to try and get past a blocker, as well as make a power move to blast through. I love pancaking a offensive lineman then giving a quarterback an up close and personal greeting with a monster hit.

Madden NFL 99 also offers "One button mode" which allows the user to perform every move with one button. This mode is for the less experienced gamer, intended for the user to learn the game fairly quickly and still be competitive when playing against a more experienced player.

Overall, the controls work well. They don't necessarily hinder gameplay, and with a little practice and customization gamers should be able to setup the controller settings to their liking. Again, the only "gotcha" may be the fact that after customizing settings, the buttons revert back to the defaults when you pass. A little practice should get you over the hump.

Visually, Madden NFL '99 provides the best graphics in a football simulation to date. EA offers gamers a completely new graphics engine that takes advantage of gamers hardware. Resolutions up to 1024x768 look outstanding when using Direct 3D or Glide to display the action. When using Direct 3D to display the game, Madden NFL '99 gives gamers the option of using a 3d-accelerator card or a 2D/3D card. This is a nice option for those who have opted for a one card gaming solution.

Players are beautifully rendered, with little touches such as jerseys that show creases and wrinkles over the players shoulder pads. Player names and numbers are easily recognizable along with team decals. EA has painstakingly recreated all the details, making Madden NFL '99 look like the actual players and stadiums have been captured, digitized and placed on a CD-ROM for you to play.

Player animation is top notch as well. Animations for running, walking, and jogging are easily distinguishable from one another. Quarterbacks will routinely lean over the line while under the center to make calls, as well as fake into the line on play action passes. One animation that impressed me was when the quarterback would drop, or roll out for a pass attempt. Think of Peyton Manning's exaggerated motion of holding the ball up while dropping back to pass. Got the picture in your head? Depending on the quarterback, you'll see it in Madden as well. Something as simple as differentiating a quarterbacks rollout animation is that much more impressive because it was included in the game. Other things to note:

• Defenders tackle in every manner imaginable. I found myself replaying hits because they were so cool. Defensive backs sometimes tip balls. I've caught at least one tipped ball for an interception.
• Players actually breathe! You can see it at the end of a play when the camera goes in for a close-up.
• Grass fields are affected by use. You'll see the field start to show signs of wear during the course of a game. Fields are also affected by weather conditions. Chicago's Soldier Field looks a lot different before the game in rainy weather than on a sunny day.
• Weather effects can be seen. Player's uniforms can get dirty in bad conditions. Bitter cold conditions have players breathing out fog through their helmets. This is most noticeable while players are standing around after a play and before the snap of the ball.
• Stadiums have been recreated to perfection with the home team's logos and end zone art resembling their real life counterparts.

With all the time EA took to make the on field action look great, it seems that the sideline art was an afterthought. Players on the sideline look like cardboard cutouts. Also, somewhat disturbing is the fact that all the players on both sides have the same jersey numbered eighty-eight. I'm not sure if this is a tribute to someone or not but seeing cardboard figures with the same number when you head for the sideline is just weird. This background "art" is something I first noticed in Tiger Woods 99. Lets hope this trend doesn't get continued in earnest for EA's other titles.

One thing EA knows how to do well is sound. Madden NFL '99 is no different in that aspect-- offering commentary from Pat Summerall and John Madden. The commentary, dubbed "StarTalk", doesn't overwhelm you with play by play, opting instead for Pat Summerall to give down and distance information as well as other comments while Madden offers observations. Its fun to hear John Madden make a comment about a player after a particular play unfolds. The most impressive thing is that its not obtrusive as other games' commentary. Case in point, a friend stopped over and I let him test drive the game. Within the first five minutes of playing he turned to me and said "I really like the commentary, all my other football games talk too much when you play so I usually turn it off."

Madden NFL '99 also offers situational crowd noise. On crucial downs if you are the home team the crowd will shout "Defense". Crowds also react to big plays and big hits as well as missed opportunities. Also, weather conditions add to the overall sound. Playing on Cincinnati's turf field in the rain? You'll hear the rain hitting it. Little things mean a lot, and sound-wise EA puts in another solid effort.

Installation is straightforward and easy with an option to register the software after installation is complete.

Madden NFL '99 offers gamers eye candy with some serious gameplay to back it up. How long will it last in your rotation of must play games? Depends on your take. For fun, hard hitting action with good commentary and atmosphere, look no further. For myself, I'm not quite sold on franchise yet, only because it's the first attempt. I'll know after I've had 4 or 5 seasons under my belt. Still, it only adds more functionality to a solid game. That being said, I'd be interested in what you think about the game as well. Be sure to post your take on the game in the Wewp! Forums.