With just one play of the latest in the line of John Madden video games, Madden 2002 (EA Sports), it's evident that this game is head and shoulders above any other football video game.

The PlayStation 2 game first captures the player's attention with graphics that are nothing less than incredible. Never before have player movements seemed quite so real. For the first time it's almost as enjoyable to watch the multitude of instant replays as it is to actually play the game.

The game isn't all graphics though. The actual gameplay is unbelievably smooth. The players leap into action with the gentlest tap of the buttons. The running backs can seemingly cut on a dime and the receivers and defensive backs leap high into the air to try to pull down the perfectly spiraled passes.

There are also numerous ways to play the game. Aside from the typical exhibition and season modes there are also franchise, training and two-minute drill modes.

Far and away the most fun and addictive is the franchise mode that allows the user to run every aspect of the team from re-signing players to signing free agents to drafting college players as you try to lead your team to the Super Bowl. There is also always the chance that if you don't do well during your franchise you'll be ousted from your job and be sent searching for another team to coach.

Training mode is also a useful tool as it allows users to have John Madden help them through those pesky plays that just never seem to execute correctly.

Madden 2002 claims that it's "#1 For A Reason" and the game backs it up. Never before has a game so enthralling captured so many aspects of NFL football from the off-season contract squabbles to the coaches' reactions on the sideline. Anyone looking for a great game to break up those long hours of studying should look no farther.

— Reviewed by Reid Coploff