It was with some anticipation, then, that we booted up the Xbox version for 2005. At first glance, the oh-so-familiar pumping music, simple interface and general atmosphere of Madden NFL 2005 gives you the feeling that you have been here before. And, let's face it, you have. On the surface, Madden NFL 2005 is nothing more than Madden NFL 2004 with some minor tweaks and a new box. Digging deeper, however, reveals some key additions and improvements which add just enough to the experience to put Madden, once again, on the Christmas list of sports gamers everywhere.

Headlining the new additions is the Hit Stick feature, which brings some extra strategy and fun to Madden's defensive game. It involves moving the right analogue stick in any direction to make a tackle and, if timed correctly, it produces some devestating hits and causes more fumbles than the standard or dive tackles. Although it takes some patience, and a lot of frustrating missed tackles, to master, the Hit Stick move is worth the practice as it brings new entertainment to the sometimes tedious defensive experience.

Also new to the defensive game this year is the ability to assign hot routes to your defenders. Don't want your right-side linebacker to blitz after all? Just select him and tap a direction on the right thumbstick to change his assignment. This feature couldn't be more simple and intuitive, and seeing it in action made us wonder why no one had thought of it before.

As with previous versions, Madden NFL 2005 provides a challenge to all but the most seasoned couch quarterback. Numerous improvements to the artificial intelligence this year have resulted in a less frustrating but equally challenging experience, as the game relies less on "comeback logic" and more on being good. It's not perfect, though; in our experience fumbles are a little too common (perhaps a side effect of the Hit Stick feature) and it's nigh on impossible to return a punt, as some defenders always slip through. If you don't opt for the fair catch under this nearly-always-present pressure, you're likely to get hit hard by two defenders immediately upon reception and fumble the ball.

On that note, the ability to challenge plays is present once again, but seems to need some work. We experienced more than one instance where an offensive player had quite probably fumbled the ball before his knee touched the ground, yet were unable to challenge the call on the field.

Madden's offensive game is largely unchanged this year, with only minor improvements being made. This is far from a bad thing, though, since last year's game was so strong in this area. The running game is slightly lacklustre once again, but for the most part the offence is excellent.

The bulk of your time with Madden NFL 2005 will be spent in Franchise Mode, which makes an outstanding appearance this year. As your favourite team's general manager, you'll handle your roster, receive e-mails from players and support staff, read relevant local and national newspapers and set prices for tickets, parking, merchandise, etc.. It's a far cry from a dedicated management sim such as Total Club Manager, but the front office is still as good as most players could hope for without being able to copy FIFA's interactivity with the great soccer management series.

Graphically, Madden is as good as it's ever been, although it still hasn't made any significant steps forward in the last couple of years. Colours are a little dull, player models are still basically the same as each other and the crowd is lacking, but otherwise everything looks pretty good. ESPN NFL 2K5 looks far more attractive. Madden's animations are brilliant, however, and it's rare that you'll encounter a tackle that looks out of place.

Sound is another area where Madden NFL 2005 doesn't bring much new to the table. On-field effects are pretty good, as always, but very familiar from last year's edition and even Madden NFL 2003. EA continues to improve the commentary at a snail's pace; the play-by-play team of John Madden and Al Michaels is as repetitive and tedious as ever.

The major omission from the PAL version of Madden NFL 2005 is Xbox Live capability. This was included for the North American market and, frankly, we can't accept the reasons behinds its ommission for PAL territories. Sega's ESPN NFL 2K4 had online play when it released last year for Xbox, and it will again this year when it releases in the lead up to Christmas.