A couple of hours into PGA Tour 08, as I finished another round so far over par it was starting to look more like a rugby score, I realised with a jolt it was actually me at fault not the game. My slavish adherence to gaming conventions had caused me to almost miss the point, and with it the fun, entirely. While the majority of games tend to start off at the easy end of the scale before getting harder the further you play, Tiger Woods positively revels in your initial failure as you stumble from bogie to double bogie. It's only when you realise that, much like the real world, jumping straight into the full PGA tour with your brand new unskilled golfer is never going to bring you much success that you start to understand how the game actually works like something of a Golf-RPG.

To start at the beginning though, the first thing to mention is the big new improvement to EA's ever impressive character builder. Photo Game Face is a system where players can map a picture of themselves (taken either via the 360's camera or uploaded via a to EA's servers) over their in game character's face, thereby really putting themselves in the game. It's an impressive feature on the face of it (ahem...) although the quality of the finished article depends greatly on the suitability of the source picture and your willingness to spend ages fiddling with it till it looks natural. EA's servers also don't seem to be as reliable as one would hope just yet which can make the whole system more frustrating than its worth. Of course you can decide to go the more traditional route when designing your character too and there's a lot of fun to be had simply tweaking the millions of sliders on offer to create a character that you can be proud of, or indeed amused by, depending on your point of view.

Rather than hoping to compete with the seasoned pro's on tour from the outset, once your character is complete your first few hours with the game should really be spent in the training sessions, mini games and Tiger Challenge modes building up your golfers experience and stats. Much like earning XP in an RPG, each and every shot you hit in TW 08 goes someway towards improving your golfer's abilities. It's a remarkably simple yet perfectly realistic idea; practice makes perfect being a pretty decent mantra for a golfer after all. It's so good in fact that the prospect of a similar system being employed in a game like for example becomes an exciting possibility. It's also detailed enough that you can focus on particular skills if you want. Feel you're struggling for power in your drives? Pop into one of the driving training options and whack a few balls. Struggling to control your short range chip shots? Find a suitable mini game and practice for a while.

With the initial focus on stat building over high profile competitions there was a chance that these parts of the game could feel more like work than play, thankfully rather than just being filler these modes offer plenty of entertainment value on their own. Tiger Challenge in particular is almost a whole game in itself with a huge honeycomb (think a slightly more ornate Blockbusters grid) collection of golfing challenges for you to work your way through before finally confronting Tiger himself. These challenges cover pretty much every area of golf you can image from simple distance tests or long range putting events through to shortened skins competitions and one-ball games. Completing each challenge earns you money as well as unlocking various other golfers (including rather strangely one Mr Wayne Rooney) and equipment. With Gold, Silver and Bronze for each event there's also plenty of replayability on offer as your skills improve.

Once you're feeling up to it (or if you just enjoy humiliation) there's the excitement of the titular full PGA tour season to play your way through, as well as the expected pick a game type, pick a course play modes. This brings us neatly(ish) to the golfing itself. Once out on the course TW 08 has a few new features up its sleeves this year. First up is the optional return of the traditional 3 click swing control method that will be familiar to anyone whose golf game memories go back beyond the introduction of analogue controllers. It's a simple concept, click once to start your swing, twice to set the shot's power level and then a third time to determine accuracy. This simplicity can prove a welcome respite for anyone struggling with the sometimes frustrating ambiguity of gauging shot power on the analogue stick and does remind you that progress isn't always for the best. In a nice touch you can easily switch between control methods on the fly with a touch of the right stick, meaning you can always use different methods for different types of shot if you so wish.

Another new addition is the idea of Shot Confidence, sitting quietly in the background this system continually monitors and grades your performance, learning where your strengths and weaknesses lie. This information is then used to give your skills a boost when you find yourself in a situation where the game knows you should be feeling confident in your abilities. It's an interesting idea, an attempt to add a degree of humanity into the rather clinical world of computer generated sports. As to how much difference it really makes to things it's hard to tell, but it's nice to know the game will at least try and reward you for putting the time into mastering certain shots. The other big change is the inclusion of a Putt Preview function. This allows you to see where your putt, as it's currently lined up, will land, something that can prove invaluable when trying to gauge the run of a particularly troublesome green. Thankfully you're unable to refine your aim while it's turned on and you're only able to use it once per shot which together puts a stop to any easy cheating.

On the whole it's hard to fault TW 08 when it comes to its looks. Next-gen golf should look stunning and, as expected, courses look beautiful while the golfers are as impressively detailed and animated as ever. However, there are times when the two don't always look like they belong in the same game and these occasional moments where golfers appear superimposed on the course does distract from the otherwise seamless presentation. The one area Tiger Woods games never seem to get right visually is the crowd and yet again its very much a case of must try harder next year as all the courses remain populated by barely animated shop dummies that wouldn't look out of place in an episode of Dr Who.

One of the most interesting new features in this year's game is the introduction of EA's new GamerNet. This rather swanky new service is more than just a lobby or matchmaking system, it also allows you to upload your own snippets of golfing genius for the world to enjoy, be it a single shot or a whole round. The clever bit is the ability to include challenges with these clips, offering other gamers around the world the chance to try to match or even beat whatever amazing feat you managed. Far more than just a novelty, the implications of this system become hugely impressive when you realise that with GamerNet have effectively managed to provide a potentially unlimited, ever growing library of mini games without ever having to lift a finger. Another slightly more gimmicky feature is the ability to connect to 'live' ESPN news. Whole articles can be downloaded and read while a constant scrolling ticker at the bottom of the menu screens relays up to date headlines and scores from around the world. You can even have ESPN radio bulletins downloaded and played instead of background if you so wish, although the heavily Americanised coverage does reduce this to little more than a curiosity unless you really care what happened in the last night. If only there was a option this could have been a fantastic feature.

A few small visual moans aside there's not a whole lot else to complain about in TW 08. Sure, it's yet another annual update and a cynical part of me almost wants to dislike it for that alone. Sure, the skills grind at the start comes close to crossing that fine line into boring at times. But with new additions like three click swings, shot confidence and GamerNet even those complaint starts to pale into insignificance. Each year it's easy to glance through EA's release schedule and trot out the cliche about buying this and that only if you're new to the series or a huge fan, but that's more than a little unfair when the title question is genuinely great. To put it simply, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 plays the best round of golf available at the moment and comes wrapped in an impressive Golf-RPG package that contains more game modes and options than you could shake a 5 iron at. It may not be a hole in one, but it's a bloody impressive birdie.

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By Paul Newcombe