Reviewing American Football games is a bit like talking about religion - people already faithful to the cause will continue to dedicate themselves to it, whereas others who aren't interested will be all but impossible to convert. ,

Madden NFL 07 is, after all, the 17th game in EA's illustrious Madden series. So there are only two real questions here - should you still go for this if you're not interested in American football, and does this 2007 edition provide enough changes over last year's game to keep the gridiron goons satisfied? In case you're the impatient type, the short answers are yes and pretty much.

Madden NFL 07 is the definitive Xbox American football experience. Unlike EA's usual trick of adding new stuff while sneakily removing other things, everything in last year's instalment is here along with all new features. Most interesting of these is the completely reworked Superstar mode, which will allow you to create a rookie and take him all the way to the Hall Of Fame, by performing well both on the field (created a receiver? Then you'd better catch that bloody ball son) and off it (come across as a cocky wide boy in interviews and fan respect might go down).

Unlike in 06, where you could still call plays and play games like normal, this time you'll only be controlling your rookie and nobody else. It sounds boring, watching a game that you barely take part in, but it's actually really entertaining and you get really pumped up when the ball gets to you and it's your chance to shine.

That's not the only major change EA has made to the gameplay. Although defence is pretty much identical to last year's game, there are a whole new set of things you can do when controlling offensive players, such as the re-vamped running system - which should drastically change the way you control your running plays (sorry Madden noobs, it could get a little technical here). Whereas every other American footie game to date has you controlling the runner after the ball's been handed to him post-snap, Madden 07 gives you the option to select and control a lead blocker by pressing B while the players are at the line of scrimmage.

This will change the camera to a sort of third-person chase cam, where you, as the blocker, can ram opponents out the way so the CPU-controlled running back has a clear path to run through. Once the damage is done you can press B again to switch control back to the runner and romp home for a touchdown. Although this doesn’t seem like a huge deal, once you get the hang of this it will lead to much more satisfying running plays, something the series had been lacking for a while. Now that the running's sorted, no more will you have to rely on constantly choosing a passing play and launching it up the field. A good thing too, since it doesn't seem like EA has changed the passing system at all this time around.

Of course, it wouldn't be an EA Sports game these days without a big deal being made about the right thumbstick doing some sort of special move. This time it's being called the Highlight Stick, and basically does the same thing it did last year - allowing players to avoid tackles. However, this time different players will avoid challenges in different ways, with speedy types ducking and weaving out of the way of tackles, and chunkier lads opting to just plough through defenders as if they were made of sponges cake.

The big word this year is 'depth', and with 217 new and classic teams (yes, we counted), tons of new gameplay features and both an in-depth Franchise Mode and an all-new Superstar Mode, there's plenty here to keep fans happy until 08 inevitably rears its helmet-wearing head.

1. The all-new system for running plays makes the game much more enjoyable when playing on offence.
2. The revamped Superstar Mode gives a whole new level of depth. Developing your player from a rookie to a Hall Of Famer is fun.
3. The graphics have received a slight overhaul. You can now see the grass cutting up as your players run over it. Nice.
4. Presentation remains sweet, with perfect commentary and a front-end that makes Elisha Cuthbert look like your mate Barry's grandad.

1. The extra features, though excellent, will only really be appreciated by serious gridiron fans. They're not enough to attract casual gamers.

The best Madden yet. Fans will lap up the new features, and it should keep you going long into 2007.