Jeff Garcia drops back, looks downfield. David Boston has streaked down the sidelines, now he’s stopping and coming back on a curl route. Garcia spots him and fires the ball downfield. At the last moment, Stephanie Morgan steps in front of the pass and knocks it to the ground.

Stephanie Morgan?

That name may be unfamiliar to fans of the National Football League, but to fans of the Backyard sports series formerly from Humongous and now from Atari, that is a name of a skillful and talented neighborhood kid. Stephanie is back, along with the whole crew of Backyard kids and pros as children in the latest sports venture, Backyard Football 2004.

Several years ago, this title was simple, cartoon-like and a lot of fun. In recent years, the title has become a little more complex, and instead of the two-dimensional look, the designers have combined some of the flat two-dimensional look with three-dimensional in game animations.

The result is a game that has a lopsided look to it. Some of the interface elements are vibrant and rich, and, well, fun. The game takes on a little more serious look, while trying to maintain the light atmosphere. It almost works. There is the impression here that the designers were trying to adapt the game for older children, while trying to keep elements in place to attract the younger crowd.

There are several ways to play the game. You can leap right into the action, take on a single player game (which can be played by up to two players), launching into the challenge of a season, practice your skills, or just meet the players, check out the Hall of Fame to see how you are progressing or which goodies you have unlocked.

The options package is fairly good and allows players to customize the game set-up quite easily. The game features a great array of Backyard Kids, as well as some of the NFL’s top players, depicted as children, but with some of the athleticism and attitude of pros to be. Don’t expect these players to be game-dominators and thus load your team with them. Some of the Backyard Kids will school these players when given the chance.

Sunny Day and Chuck Downfield provide the play-by-play and voice commentary for the game. Sunny’s voice has taken on more adult tones while Chuck still offers the observations of someone who played head-knocking football, without a helmet.

The game uses the mouse for a point-and-click style of game play. But here is where the game can get a little tougher. There is a difference between tapping a mouse button and clicking it. A tap may get you an action that is contrary to what you were looking for. A solid left click will pass the ball, for example, while a tap will have the ball carrier dive forward.

There are 12 fields playable at the start of the game and an unlockable field as well.

The game play is arcade style, with power-ups available throughout the contest to really give your players that extra something.

Backyard Football 2004 is not as light, easy or fun as it once was. The game is a mish-mash graphically, and the commentary is starting to age. There is something intangible missing here. The game seems to be caught between its past while trying to bridge, in a child-like manner, to a more adult version of the video sports game. In any cause, it feels like, which a solid title, this drive stalls out. Punt.

Gameplay: 6.8
There were a few instances during the game when a loading players message appeared. Presumably this was to load the offensive and defensive alignments. But the game play is not entirely fluid.

Graphics: 6.8
Jumping from the two-dimensional cartoon of the menus and commentary, to the three-dimensional game action feels like a title that was half-finished. The two looks are bright and have a rich quality but can distance players because they are so dissimilar.

Sound: 6.8
A lot of the old, and little new, this is merely average.

Difficulty: Medium
Hitting the open receiver is challenging, and this game is stepping beyond younger players and targeting an older group of children.

Concept: 7
The game does have a good range of options, and is fundamentally a sound product.

Multiplayer: 7
One-to-two players can participate with one using the keyboard and the other the mouse. Not the best set-up, but it does work.

Overall: 6.8
This game just does not have the feel of the earlier versions. This is a solid title, but something is lacking. A good title, but not for younger fans. Look for an older version of the game for them. Backyard Football 2004 is for a slightly older group.