Tiger Woods 2002 is a great game for any golf enthusiast.  Though this is my first TW title, from the information I have gathered this is a big improvement over previous releases.  Though a bit demanding on the PC, you can toggle some settings to play on mid range PC's.

You only have 6 courses to choose from.  They are Pebble Beach, Poppy Hills, Spyglass Hill, TPC at Sawgrass, Princeville and Royal Birkdale in England.  In addition to Tiger Woods you have 12 other golfers you can play with or against. Professionals like, Justin Leonard, Brad Faxon, Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie, and many others.  If you want to create a character you can do that as well, but there are only a handful of models to choose from including 3 women models.  But hey, we all want to be Tiger right?  You can toggle just about everything.  From the equipment, to the weather, to the sky of the course.  Some users may want to play with the graphic settings.  Though the minimum requirements are a 400 MHZ processor I have had some problems with my 1.3 and my 64MB GeForce 2.  Nothing too terrible, but I noticed a difference by turning down some of the settings.

My favorite feature of the game is the TrueSwing technology.  No longer do you have to watch a little dial and try to accurately click to make your swing contact with and pull off those fades and draws.  Though if you like that style of play, you can opt for that archaic way of playing.  But if you are like me and love enhancements to sim play, you have to check this out.  You actually use your mouse to pull back, mean while your golfer starts his back swing, and push the mouse forward to follow through the ball.  The golfer actually follows your movements while you execute them.  Now I'm not pretending to be some golf sim enthusiast, but this is the first time that I have seen this.  Maybe it is in other games, but regardless this rocks.  It actually adds feel to the game.  This swing technology still allows you to add fade and draws to hug those doglegs for a shorter game.  In either case both styles of executing your swing are available.

Putting is pretty simple.  You have a grid over the green (which you can turn off) to give you a sense of which way the ball is going to roll.  You simply line yourself up and execute your putt.  I found this to be the most challenging because of course conditions and the feel of TrueSwing.  But after a few rounds even the novice golfer should be sinking 15-foot birdies with a bit more ease.  Not to say that it’s easy, just practice makes perfect.

There are plenty of different games you can play as well.  Stroke, match, scorecard in match, skins, skills challenge, shoot out, stableford, alternate shot, greensome, bloodsome, 2 and 4 man scrambles, four ball stroke, four ball match, and four ball stableford.  You can also practice at the driving, chipping, and putting areas or practice a hole. 

All in all TW2002 is a great game for the money. I raise an eyebrow about multiplayer capability.  Yes you can play online, but only till March 1,2003.  What's that all about?  Whatever licensing agreement that is, it’s a first for me.  Whatever the case it is available for casual play and is quite fun. 

Install:  Easy

Gameplay: 8
Easy to use interface.  Both novices and golf sim enthusiast will be up and playing in no time.  Increased difficulties and shot selection will give die-hard golfers what they crave.

Graphics: 8 
Graphics all around were pretty nice.  Reflections off the water were top notch.  Some of the pros faces were bit dull, but all around a nice job.

Sound: 8.5
Good sound effects, my only gripe (and I have found this with just about any title that has commentating,) is too much repetitiveness. 

Difficulty: 9
you can toggle the settings to make this as difficult as you like.  You can even design your own course to make it as impossible as you can handle.  I would give the novice player about a 1-hour learning curve.

Concept: 8 
though another golf sim, from what I have found TW2002 has made many improvements over previous TW titles.  The True swing technology adds a great deal to the game.

Multiplayer: 8
The manual states, "Online gameplay for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002 will be available only through March 1, 2003. Subject to online terms of use, all features may not be available at the time of purchase."  All the features for online play may not be available as of yet. For example, tournament play, but casual play is available and is quite enjoyable.  You will need to sign up at the web site.  If you are already a member at EA, you can use your current name.

Overall: 8.0
for a price tag of what one would probably pay for green fees, money well spent.