"A top quality "realistic" golf game which is as fun on your own as it is with a group of friends. A must have-er!"

I\'ve always been a fan of golf games, at least other peoples golf games. But however much fun they are, i\'ve never felt the urge to go out and buy one of my own. This game has changed my opinion!

If you are anything like me you will have played a few golf games here and there, but probably prefer the \'\'cartoony\'\' style games rather than the purely realistic ones, you know the ones... the ones with \'\'wacky\'\' characters and a tongue-in-cheek humour about them. It would appear that EA games has recognised this aspect and decided to combine both types of game.

The result? A highly enjoyable, accurate and at times hilarious game. Let me break it down for you.

Graphics - 8/10 - The graphics on this game are good, nothing ground breaking or revolutionary, but decent. The golfers themselves are nothing amazing, just the usual EA fare - by that I mean they look amazing from a distance and look like bug-eyed freaks when you get up close. (Something the game chooses to do quite a lot during important shots!) The courses themselves are beautiful and varied and I find it quite relaxing to come home from work and have a quick nine holes on pebble beach before dinner.

Sound - 9/10 - I can\'t say anything bad about the sound really! It sounds...erm...well...like golf! One point to mention, the sound of aircraft flying overhead in the game had me looking out the window of my bedroom. Its that good.
The only bad point about it is the lack of varied music, but you can turn it off so its not that much of a problem.

Gameplay - 9/10 - The game uses the now popular analogue stick method, which has been adopted by many games. Simply pull it back to swing the club back and push it forward to swing the club forward. Don\'t want to hit it with full power? Then don\'t pull it back as far! It sounds simple but its really satisfying, gently lobbing the ball onto the green and rolling it along into the hole! Lovely!

Replay Value - 9/10 - There are plenty of modes to keep everybody happy for a long long time. Get your friends round and have yourselves a tournament, you could even play \'\'speed golf\'\' just try not to burst a blood vessel!
The main tiger challenge is lots of fun and is time consuming so you feel as though you get your moneys worth, just pick a character and complete match plays and tournaments to earn money so that you can improve your stats and equipment. There are loads more modes, courses and characters to keep you playing for a long long time. Then, once the one player loses its shine, the multiplayer just won\'t get old.

So overall I give this game a 9/10! Well worth buying rather than renting, a definate must for any well rounded collection and you don\'t have to be a fan of golf to enjoy it. Even my sister enjoys playing this game!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/03