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What: Madden NFL ’99 (PlayStation)

Cost: $39.99

This latest version of the popular home video game has been on the market for more than four months, but its reputation continues to grow with players who appreciate the realism of the game. Former coach and current broadcaster John Madden hit the jackpot when he landed the deal to have this annual game--now in its ninth year--named after him.

After a couple of mediocre years that saw competitors such as NFL Gameday win over many borderline fans, Madden bounced back strong in ’99.

What makes Madden ’99 so good is the realistic AI (artificial intelligence). One traditional drawback of Madden has been that defenses were always beatable. However with the AI in Madden ‘99, scoring no longer is a given--especially at the Madden level of play. Players who are able to apply their overall football knowledge into their play enjoy the most success. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the NFL players is also an advantage because Madden ’99 has accurate skill ratings.

The 30 1998 NFL teams were ranked before the start of the real season and most are accurate, with the exception of Minnesota and Atlanta. If you like historic teams, you’ll love this game with every Super Bowl team and many other playoff teams from the ‘60s included.

This year’s game also introduced a one-button mode that makes it easy for newcomers to get into arcade play. It is also available in Nintendo 64 and PC versions.