GAMES File has been swamped with sporting titles in the past few weeks and so it goes on. This time, it is NFL Xtreme which publishers Sony claim is "a totally new concept in American Football games" and which has been created with sports duffers in mind.

In other words, if you have no idea of how American football is played then it doesn't matter. You will find this game almost instantly gratifying. NFL Xtreme provides the chance to stick the boot in during mad, roughhouse matches where your crude, strong-arm tactics won't see you paying the penalty - because there aren't any.

And the game certainly looks good with each player being individually scaled, including height and weight information, with more than 400 polygons each.

This makes the figures more lifelike and gives them greater fluidity. Another plus is that players can sustain injuries, adding to the game's authenticity and there are various special moves such as shoulder charges and 'dives over the pile'. And there are more than 50 end-zone celebration moves, to boot.

There are 30 teams to choose from and you can stage matches in 30 well crafted NFL stadiums.

Play the game with an analogue controller and you will really feel the impact of this tough sport. J E

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