Madden again offers an online mode of play, but unfortunately this is only free for the first sixty days. We think it would have been wiser of EA to continue building the online community for a couple of years before going to a pay-as-you-play type of deal. Two-player network play is also possible, as is playing with up to four people on the same PC.

Statistic buffs will be pleased to hear that the franchise mode has been further improved. You can now scout upcoming players to learn more about the player before the NFL draft rolls around which helps to determine whether the player would fit in and improve the club or not. Other features from previous years such as free-agent signing, re-signing existing players, making trades and so forth have been tweaked for the better and contract-negotiation AI seems better than ever.

We haven't had our socks knocked off by a PC sports title for quite some time, but Madden 2003 has succeeded in doing just that. It really is a fantastic football game and is a worthwhile purchase for anyone with a remote interest in the sport.