The most recognisable face in golf since Sam Torrance shaved off his 'tache returns for another round in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, and he's brought along a few of his talented friends - Furyk, Singh, Daly and a dozen more. Electronic Arts selection of sports titles is the stuff of legend; they are the biggest publisher in the world, after all, and it's games such as this which will keep them at the top of the tree. EA get a lot of criticism for their seemingly bottomless pit of sports updates, but Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 is, to use a non-golfing term, a doozy, and well worth a look. The 2004 update is the only game where you can earn your Tour Card while playing the best courses the golfing world has to offer - St Andrews, Royal Birkdale and Torrey Pines for example - a handful of fantasy courses, including The Highlands and The Predator, plus the chance to create your own. The Game Face option lets you put yourself, or a more handsome version of yourself, in the game. Game Face is a kind of virtual beauty salon-cum-fashion house where you can customise almost every aspect of your golfer. Daft hairstyles, regrettable tattoos and pastel shades are all available at a cost. And all this is 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. 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. The TrueSwing technology incorporated into the game provides a more realistic experience for the virtual golfer. There's even a point at tee-off where your man can take a short run-up before hitting the ball for that extra bit of power. Have a fiddle about with the button configuration and see what happens. Golf as an extreme sport? Not quite, but it is a surprise to see something like this in a game that, as a simulation, is about as good as it gets.