SIDEWAYS GLANCE WHEN THERE'S NO FOOTBALL GAME ON TV, WHAT'S THE BEST ALTERNATIVE?

Byline: - Tom Hoffarth

THE OLD NEW GAME

--The titles: Sega Sports' ``NFL 2K2'' and ``NCAA College Football: Road to the Rose Bowl 2K2'' for Dreamcast; EA Sports' ``Madden NFL 2002'' for PlayStation 2.

--The price: $39.99 to $49.99

--The dirt: Improvements are tougher to detect in these top-notch video games, but one thing is for sure: Just when you think they can't get any more sophisticated, they find a way.

To continue to buy these games year after year is mostly to keep up with the current players and teams. For that, the college game provides more teams - all 117 - but the pro games have better player graphics and more realistic action on the field.

In the college game (with former Purdue quarterback Drew Brees as the cover boy), the season mode gives someone with a lot of time on their hands the chance to complete a 2001 regular-season schedule all the way through the bowl games and national championship. Stats also are compiled, so a virtual Heisman Trophy winner can be decided. Each school's playbook is included, and they can switched around if desired (try USC's Carson Palmer running Nebraska's option offense for kicks).

In the legacy mode, you're the coach and athletic director, given five weeks to recruit and sign players to keep the program in shape before spring practice starts.

For the NFL versions, ``NFL 2K2'' has rebuilt its graphics system and added more motion-captured animation. The 12th edition of the Madden game, also available on Nintendo 64 and PC, makes it as TV-like as possible, with the players displaying more emotions.

< THE NEW OLD GAME

--The title: ``Classic Football'' by Mattel

--The price: $15

--The dirt: Think of ``Pong'' before PlayStation.

Here, in its battery-operated, cheesy white glory, is the handheld game from the '70s with the blinking red lights and lame ``Charge'' sound that gave you something to do when the commercials came on ``The Partridge Family.''

State of the art for its time, there's not much changed about the reissued game, which must look like an archaeological find to today's youngsters.

Three arrow buttons on the right control the direction of the zig-zagging red blip around the defense; three buttons on the left produce the stats, score and the ability to kick the ``ball'' away.

It's all running plays - even though the forward pass was introduced before 1978, when it first came out.

For those who want to be particular, this is an LCD-with-a-color-filter version, not LED like the original. And it now uses two AA batteries instead of that transistor radio-sized 9-volt you had to search for.

In the event of any memory lapses, there's an instruction book that shows the two-handed play method (with the thumbs) or one-handed (with index finger punching like a calculator).

On the back of the packaging is this great line: ``Self contained - No TV set needed!'' Amazing as that seems.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) no caption (video game: NCAA College Football: Road to the Rose Bowl 2K2)

(2) no caption (video game: Classic Football)