The coolest man in golf is back for another 18 holes in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, and he's brought a few of his talented friends with him. Electronic Arts isn't the biggest videogame publisher in the world merely by sales, but by reputation too, and though the company gets a lot of flak for releasing update after update, we have to say that this particular incarnation of the PGA Tour title is worth every penny.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 is the only game where you can earn your Tour Card ... more >>

The coolest man in golf is back for another 18 holes in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, and he's brought a few of his talented friends with him. Electronic Arts isn't the biggest videogame publisher in the world merely by sales, but by reputation too, and though the company gets a lot of flak for releasing update after update, we have to say that this particular incarnation of the PGA Tour title is worth every penny.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 is the only game where you can earn your Tour Card while playing the best courses the golfing world has to offer - St Andrews, Pebble Beach and Sawgrass for instance - plus a handful of fantasy courses, and the chance to create your own. You can also put yourself right there in the game with the help of the Game Face option. This feature consists of a seemingly endless array of clothing and accessories, fancy haircuts, hooked noses, radar dish-like ears, tattoos and dodgy facial hair. And this is all before you actually get to swing a club…

To get to the first hole, you have to select from the various modes on offer. Multiple game modes deliver quick, competitive situations and side games, including Skills competition, Shoot-out, Best Ball, team matches, a scramble mode, and PGA Tour Season mode. Tournament Mode is a series of multi-round competitions against Tour Pros in which you can earn career money and sponsorships. The World Tour option pits the user against the course. Completing a number of challenges designed to teach you the best way to play a particular course is the key here, and when you're ready, you can take a shot at beating the course Pro. As you defeat each opponent and dominate each region, you'll earn more money, thus enabling you to attract more sponsors and further customise your player. This PC version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 allows you to go online too, via LAN and TCP/IP.

The gameplay in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 hasn't changed a great deal since last time out, but it's still worth going through the tutorial at the outset, and looking out for tips on-screen. When you're confident that you can play without any advice or assistance, you can always turn off the hints and tips. Controls on the PC version are a little daunting at first, but the TrueSwing technology incorporated into the game provides a more realistic experience for the virtual golfer. A high-end graphics card in your machine will provide sumptuous visuals rain or shine, an authentic atmosphere is guaranteed (if you have a good sound facility) with a suitably ambient soundtrack, and intermittent vocal contributions from David Feherty and Gary McCord.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 is just about as good as golf on a PC gets. Enough of a simulation to keep the hardcore happy, with a little arcade-style goodness tossed in too, the likes of Microsoft's Links series is going to have to go a fairway (ha!) to beat this. << less