All across America, men sit like zombies stuffing popcorn into their mouths, swigging Dr Pepper and starting at the TV - and if there's a live football game on then all the better. The puzzling thing is, if all America watches sport from the couch, who can all those people in the stadium be? The only answer is actors.

In a country where such a perverse situation could just possibly be true, a game like NFL's Greatest was inevitable. All the 'best' from fifteen years of Super Bowl - not just on boring VHS tape, but on good old grainy Sega-CD - the medium of the 90s!

The FMV parts of the game are its main substance, maybe even its reason for existence. As such, it seems sensible to be able to toggle the main image window. There's full-screen, which displays a very pixellated display, or a compact, more detailed window. Both are in 16-colour 'Truvideo'. This is the same system used for Ground Zero Texas, and is an improvement on early FMV images, but not up to the latest Cinepak technology.

The game aspect of NFL's Greatest is slim indeed. You have an almost static view of the pitch, with no players in sight. You are then given a limited amount of players (about twelve) to select from. The computer, or second player, does the same and then the video plays. The film gives you a rough idea of who won the encounter, before the main screen displays only change in yardage and possession.

I'm not even sure if this should be in Mean Machines Sega at all, as its pretext as a "game" is very slender. By reading the instructions you gradually pick up the fact that this is just a library of footballing moments, with a cosmetic 'strategy' game used to market it.

What a waste of everyone's time. I'm sure that football fans would rather watch footage of a better quality (I think even a Viewmaster would be better than this!) and game fans will actually want some interaction.

This diabolical hybrid caters for neither group.

What could be worse than a rough 'n' tough American Football game with all the good bits taken out? Gone are the tactical plays offered by the likes of Madden and its kind, replaced by a terrible multiple-choice format akin to something a sports teacher might set if the footy pitch was water-logged.

This is an absolute travesty and has about as much to do with genuine playability as Rustie Lee does to hang-gliding.

Graphics 52%
The video footage is extremely grainy and repetitive.

Sound 76%
Atmospheric sounds captured on CD, but awful 'rawk' soundtrack.

Playability 5%
The 'game' element is miniscule and random.

Lastability 4%
It will be surprising if you play this for more than a day.

Value For Money 14%
Catch the highlights on Channel Four for free rather than this.

Overall 5%
NFL's Greatest is a waste of everyone's time. It's truly awful.