EA Sports is now in its 11th year of an exclusive partnership with the PGA Tour, thus always having the backing of the pros in its golf interactive games. The series has seen its better days over the years. Two years ago, EA managed to sign on the sensational Tiger Woods. The first game under his name was nothing more than a publicity stunt that lacked major gameplay and was riddled with graphical inconsistencies. Last year's effort was a step in the right direction but still lacked overall polish to distinguish itself from other golf games. This year's offering, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002, blasts onto the scene totally revamped from the ground up. From the incredible and detailed golf courses to a new intuitive take on gameplay, Tiger Woods 2002 is the golf game we have been waiting for.

Back when the PS2 was announced I had dreams of golf games that would be in lush settings with tight textures and beautiful graphical tricks such as lens flares, fogging and lighting effects. The first two years in the PS2 life cycle saw nothing come close to this dream. I thought it was in fact only a dream scenario until I popped in Tiger Woods 2002. This game is gorgeous. Each course has been painstakingly recreated from their real-life incarnation. Even the original designed courses possess flare that have not been seen before in a golf game. The frame rate is never an issue and there is no draw-in or pop up evident. Perhaps the most impressive graphical feature is how the developers tried to bring each course to life. You will find crowds on the fringes, wild-life surrounding the course and subtle yet effective touches such as fog, lens flares and spray coming off seaside courses. You will notice large trees swaying in the wind and divets throughout each course. The assembled pro golfers in the game are also rendered to scale and look great. Last year Tiger looked half man and half robot, this year EA has reworked the models to include subtle facial expressions, eye movements, and even clothes blowing in the wind. Each pro golfer has been rendered to look exactly like their real-life counterparts. The voicework is top notch and is courtesy of David Feherty and Bill Macatee. Sound effects are brilliant and bring the atmosphere of being on these great courses to life.

The gameplay has a surprisingly arcade feel to it. It is sensible, easy and fast to utilize. The best feature to hit a golf game and it has been a long time coming is how EA Sports has changed the shot interface. The usual triple tap golf interface that has been used for years has now been replaced by a more sensible method that utilizes the Dual Shock 2's analog stick. To swing you simply pull back on the right analog stick, and then push forward. This gives the player the ultimate control to perfect shots. If you need less power, pull back more gently. If you need to perform a slice or fade shot, simply pull back at your desired angle, and push forward at the same corresponding angle. The approach to each situation is made easy thanks to this very friendly control scheme. My only beef with the new interface is when it comes to putting. Once you reach the green, the game makes you rely on caddy tips to guess where you should aim the ball and how hard to stroke it. There are no visual cues about the slopes or distance to the ball. This aspect is annoying but after practicing a few rounds you will get the feel for what kind of shot needs to be taken. Another nice gameplay touch is how EA Sports have integrated an RPG approach to golfer development. Golfers earn money for skin games, each tournament they win or special shots they have made. The money is then used to purchase upgrades for your character's statistics. As a result players are motivated to keep playing to create super golfers.

EA Sports has packed on the value this year. The main modes include: Practice Mode, where you can drop the ball anywhere on the course and practice from that spot, and Career Mode, which allows you to compete against a range of amateurs and PGA Tour pros in a character-building mode until Tiger Woods is unlocked. A number of pros can be unlocked as well as new courses and a Super Tiger Woods playable golfer. Play Now modes returns, which challenges users to complete 18 competitive scenarios and puts players right in the middle of a competitive situation. Try teeing off at the 18th hole at Pebble Beach with all 18 skins on the line. Tiger Challenge allows players to compete against amateurs and Pros to unlock more golfers and Tour Cards as you win. You will have the opportunity to unlock one hole of Tiger's Dream 18 at a time as you move up the ladder. There is also stroke play and a scenarios mode which challenges you to 25 more tough scenarios to conquer. To top all of this off comes the unique two player mode known as Speed Golf. This split-screen game provides a two-way race to the hole, so the first one to the hole wins. Players can also compete against one another in a stroke mode, so the one with the least strokes wins.

While the new Total Precision Swing interface will take some getting used to, it is hard to find any fault with Tiger Woods 2002. It is simple, fast and fun. It is an addictive game that can be played both alone or with a group of friends. Any golf nut's video game collection is incomplete without this title. For all others, you owe yourself at least to give Tiger Woods 2002 a swing.