Toning down NFL Street's flamboyant, arcade-style violence while also simplifying Madden 08's precision controls, NFL Tour clearly targets fair-weather fans. The turbo boost-fueled, seven-on-seven gridiron challenge woos neophytes with a new spotlight- and fireworks-drenched road show format that puts pomp above strategic play-calling. Veteran armchair quarterbacks probably won't consider the mix challenging or testosterone-heavy enough. Beginners, however, may find this lightning-paced exercise in virtual pigskin a welcome change from the standard down, set, "holy-crap-which-key-do-I-press?!" routine.

You can still run along sideline barriers and invoke devastating slow-motion collisions. And you don't need prior genre experience to play, given the game's new one-touch receiver selection and passing features. As for special moves, it's possible to build a Smash Meter that, although less effective than unstoppable Gamebreaker options of the past, still lets you perform superhuman feats of endurance. With special timed mini-games, you gain the ability to break tackles or perform fiercer takedowns by employing split-second button presses. All told, the action feels less over-the-top than off-the-wall, emphasizing speed over brutality, with individual games capable of being completed in 15 minutes flat.

The big question is whether there's really an audience for this kind of game to begin with. Season ticket holders will be disappointed by the lack of depth; a corny Scottish accent-copping and pun-spouting announcer destroys any hint at realism. Occasional weekend tailgaters will wonder what happened to the bone-crunching viciousness and trash-talking spectacle of previous efforts. In effect, the game fails to take a definitive stance one way or the other, which may leave joystick jocks confused. Rent first, lest you find it a less than satisfactory draft pick.