US sports eh? - Bigger, flashier and more complicated than any other sports on the planet - none more so that American Football. But despite being a proper football lover (that's "soccer" to anyone from the US), I still find myself now and again being drawn to watching the glitz of the Superbowl (and this was pre-Janet's boob) and playing video game versions of what is best described as "padded rugby for poofs"...

This is a sports game so these days you'll pretty much know what you're getting. You have the 'build-a-franchise' mode where you take a team and play through seven seasons trying to bring in the best players and win the Superbowl. You also have the typical exhibition modes that can be played against computer AI or with 3 friends on one Xbox. Or you can have up to 1-8 players using system link and Xbox Live. For NFL newcomers this game would be a great starting point because it gives you excellent training features including tutorials on all the simple running and multiple passing type moves. There are passing types that suit every player, there's even a simple one-button press type. Another is called "trigger" and you have to press the button of the player you want to pass to (A, B, X, Y, white, black) then pull the right trigger to throw the ball - the harder you pull, the faster and lower it goes. And for the very advanced user there's the manual pass mode where you move the right analog stick and you tell the receiver where to run before you throw the pass.

   

There are a huge number of plays to use including running, passing and kicking. It's also very easy to run and charge when you're in control of your receivers or running backs, you can spin and barge your way though defences to score some impressive touchdowns. There's nothing really wrong with the game accept for the occasional AI stupidity which happens in almost all sports games. The game of course features all the fully licensed names and teams.

The highlight of NFL Fever has to be the Xbox Live play - it's awesome! There's no lag at all and because of the Xbox communicator it's like your opponents are sitting with you, complementing your great passes and tackles. The game is also compatible with Microsoft's XSN Sports system that allows you to set up your own leagues and tournaments and invite people to play. The only drawback with the game on Xbox Live is that despite the good old 'Optimatch' feature, for a newbie it's hard to find another genuine newbie, and you end up playing someone who can read your every mode just by the way you're attacking and defensive lines are set up - winning online games is all about experience.

   

The graphics are great, excellent looking stadiums and high polygon player models. The players have fully animated faces and get dirty when getting knocked down. The animations also look brilliant with good-looking spins, jumps and flying tackles. And even the simple stuff like the running and catching also looks great. Overall what an Xbox sports game should look like. The sound matches the graphics, the commentary is really good and it's always in synch with on-screen events and it always sounds like your watching a real NFL game. The players on the turf shout at each other and all the grunts, Ooofs and Aarrghs are in there when the players get tackled and drop the ball. There's custom soundtrack support for menu music and 5.1 surround sound support for when you're on the turf.

Overall whether you're new or a veteran of NFL games this is a great start or addition to your NFL collection. Whether it's as good as EA's John Madden 2004 overall I'm not entirely sure, but the Xbox Live support definitely sways me towards Fever over Madden for now. So if you're an NFL fan and have got Xbox Live this is the game for you.