You can almost smell the popcorn and taste the hot dogs and beer. NFL Fever 2000, Microsoft’s entry into the 3D-football arena, looks and plays like the real thing, and they’ve got a real winner on their hands.

The game comes on a single CD-ROM with a 15-page jewel-case pamphlet. Online help is available from within the game. Summary control information is also printed on the back of the jewel-case, a feature that I found extremely helpful. The game installed easily through the Windows 95/98 autoplay feature.

All 31 NFL teams, all players, and all current stadiums are present, including the Tennessee Titans and their new stadium! I had a blast retrying this years Super Bowl between the Titans and the St. Louis Rams in the Georgia Dome (you can choose to play any game at your choice of stadium). I was pleased to note that Microsoft’s web site included a roster update for NFL Fever 2000.

Several play modes are available, including practice (with or without an opponent), single games, entire seasons, and playoffs. For a new season, you may choose to play any (or all) game(s), or you may choose to simulate one or more games. The manager function allows you to trade or substitute players, create players, change positions, etc. Season statistics may be a little sparse for some, but they’re adequate for my needs and are totally overshadowed by the fantastic graphics and exciting gameplay. Two  players have the ability to play head-to-head on the same computer; there is no Internet multiplayer option available in NFL Fever 2000. Adverse weather conditions (i.e., wind, rain, and snow) may be specified for single games, and actually affect gameplay. Also, you can choose the difficulty level and length of each quarter.

Players are controlled with either the keyboard or with an 8-button gamepad. A large selection of both offensive and defensive plays are available to choose from, and if you want to design your own plays you can do just that using the play editor. A nice feature in the plays available for selection is the inclusion of “Millen’s Call”, which features a variety of plays designed by Penn State All-American Matt Millen. The “Millen’s Call” plays are diverse, depending on the specific field situation, and are generally adequate to advance field position; I found myself using Millen’s plays most of the time. While on the offensive, you can try several moves to ward off would-be tacklers: juke, spin, speed burst, stiff-arm, hurdle, shoulder charge, dive, high-step, and pump fake….and you can even lateral the ball. Defensive options include power tackle, swim move, speed burst, and jumps. Passing plays and the selection of specific receivers are fairly easy to execute. Kicking is controlled by pressing a button to stop a swinging arrow to determine direction, and then by pressing the button again for the amount of power of the kick…I had a little trouble getting used to this, but caught on after a while. There are a variety of camera angles to choose from during games, including overhead, a vantage point simulating a view from the stands, the brutal “ball-cam”, and others; however, the most useful angle (for me) was the Normal view from slightly behind the quarterback. It’s pretty fun to change angles during the game to get a feel for what each one gives you.

Sports announcer Dick Stockton delivers the play-by-play for NFL Fever 2000, and does a very credible job. I was pretty impressed the first time I decided to go for it on 4th down with long yardage and the announcer started talking about how gritty a decision it was, and then I was berated when I failed to convert to 1st down. Small details such as this really add to the realism in the game. Sound effects down on the field (e.g., crowd noises, play calling, and player comments) are also well done.

The graphics in NFL Fever 2000 are nothing short of amazing. You won’t believe how realistic player movements are, from running backs continuing to churn their legs trying to break a tackle to a player getting his legs cut out from under him and turning a flip, then shaking his head as he tries to get up from the field (like he’d just been hit by a train, which he probably had!). It’s all very believable, from the subtle positioning of the players in the lineup to the numbers and names on the jerseys and team logos on the helmets. And be sure to watch for players’ victory dances following each touchdown!

Bottom Line:  Microsoft’s NFL Fever 2000 is a great football game, and at just under $20 is an absolute steal. The 3D graphics are absolutely incredible. If you’re a football fan and have the machine to run it, you simply can’t go wrong…you’ll get your moneys worth here. This is real football!

System Tested On:  IBM-compatible PC with an AMD-Athlon 600 Mhz CPU; Windows 98; Nvidia Geforce 256 graphics accelerator; 128 Mb of RAM; 40x CD-ROM drive; Sound Blaster Live! Value sound card; mouse

Minimum System:  Multimedia PC with a 200 Mhz processor (300 Mhz or higher recommended); 32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended); 2 MB VRAM card (for software rasterizer only) or 4 MB VRAM card (for hardware acceleration) (Microsoft Direct 3D-compliant 3D graphics accelerator card and 8MB VRAM recommended); Super VGA, 16 Bit Color Monitor; Windows 95 compatible sound card; DirectX 6.1 or higher (included on CD); 50 MB hard drive space (additional space required for DirectX 6.1 installation and Windows swap file); 4x CD-ROM drive (8x recommended); Windows 95/98; Windows 95/98 compatible sound card; Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device (Microsoft SideWinder game pad or other 8-button game pad recommended).

Technical support is available by phone (toll number) or on the World Wide Web at http://support.microsoft.com/support.

Retail price - $19.95

Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399; Telephone: (425) 882-8080