I love playing golf - at home. With the exception of mini-golf, I don't enjoy the sport much, and play it as much as I dislike it. So, why be given a golf game to review? Because I absolutely love playing golf on various platforms. You can play it anywhere via a portable device such as a GBA or even cell phone ... or hook it up in high def at home and invite over some buddies to go head to head for all-day tourneys. It offers loads of challenge, and the skills required are usually something that have to be honed over a long period of play. Unlike shooters that are merely look-and-shoot, hitting the sweet spot and reading a green takes a lot more skill than some would appreciate.

Tiger Woods has been the household name in golf for many years, now. However, there are a lot of his peers that are excellent and win tournaments all over the world.  On the cover and in the game, you'll see Mark O'Meara, Ben Curtis, Thomas Bjorn, Sergio Garcia and many others. These are all great players, and deserve to have their chance to be on display - alongside Woods. With so much talent involved, it's almost odd to have such a lack of actual courses in which to play. What they lack in course reality it more than made up for in player control. After all, as far as course authenticity, how many of us get to see/play the real things - so they all look the same to me. Ignorance is bliss!

The player control in this game is more advanced than any I have seen, before. As usual, I was anxious to play so opted out of reading pesky instructions before jumping in with both cleats. For the life of me, I could not get a decent swing - no matter what I did. This game allows you to tweak every small nuance to a swing that you can imagine. The only thing I think it's missing is the ability to have a bead of sweat roll down your nose! You must adjust your foot position, swing and precisely where you want to make contact on the ball. There's more, but trust me in that if you are a stickler for authenticity, you will like the micromanaging of the "simple swing." If you manage to get that far, the greens are usually easy to read, though hitting the hole can sometimes behave in an unpredictable manner. You may think all things will be the same when approaching a seemingly identical shot on a new green, but your stroke may take a totally different turn. In all, it is fair and realistic enough for me. I would be more agitated if the greens were too easy and there was no challenge. After all, it is golf - and the point of it is to challenge and keep you on your toes at all times. On the greens and throughout the course, you have to act with equal caution and watch your swing. I never felt bored or took it for granted. Mostly due to the complex needs of teeing off.

The graphics take a dive into the days of yesterday's graphic cards. Where similar games excel in their lavishly detailed terrains, Prostroke Golf blurs and blends the fairways way too often. The player creation is also a let down. You can decide what kind of pants to wear, and your shirt colors, etc... but there is very little else to do to make the character feel like.... "you." Since the point of the game is to play well, and not look good, I didn't get too bothered by that shortcoming. It just means you get to the action faster! Everything looks fine until the swing and you make contact with the ball. Then, you enter a Peter Max world of colors and wash. Once your ball settles, so do the visuals. In short, it is not very pretty to look at.

The audio has some decent commentary from a few fellows that do that job - in real life. I did not find too much repetition as is common with any sport game. However, I also admit that I almost always turn off any commentary for a game - as I never like it much to begin with. If you are watching a sport and not in the game - hearing their two cents is fine. however, it's just plain ODD to hear someone whispering over your shoulder about how you need to do this and that. Nice "whack" when you hit the sweet spot. In real life, that magical sound will send a surge of adrenaline through you like a phantom. In the game, it is just as effective for me. Unlike boring commentary banter, I never get tired of hearing that "Ping!" from making nice contact with that evil orb.

I think the game will appeal most to people that want something new, but don't feel the need to get Tiger's release year after year. I seldom get a game every year it comes out. I like to shake it up, which makes going back to the usual game even more special. So far, although it has many shortcomings, I think this is a worthy break from EA Sports for 2007. In fact, I will bet that some of the detailed swing features make themselves into EA in 2008. There isn't much else to copy, but that swing setup is unique and challenging.

Gameplay: 6.5
Don't even try to play the game without using the swing tutorials or manual. You'll never get it. Or, by the time you do, you will be too weary to play it much longer. Yes, it is that taxing to learn - to a good level of comfort. Take some time to go through the learning, and the reward is tremendous. The control you have is more than I have personally experienced in a golf game to date. Once that feels good to you, the rest is a typical walk on the links and you try to better yourself hole by hole.  

Graphics: 6.0 
The character creation is so minimal, it's barely worth having the option in the game. Maybe they plan on allowing a future download pack to enhance that area of the game. As I mentioned, I don't really care what I look like, anyway. It won't help my game in any way. I liked playing in first-person mode, so if I had a lifelike character, I would have to overlook my desk-job belly to even see the ball. Who needs that kind of realism?!! Once the ball hits the air, things blur and if you squint, it will look like lawn mower with the bagger shooting clippings into your direction. When the ball settles, things look better, but the focus is on the play - not the look. It's a trade-off that you need to weigh when making a buying decision. Do you like to see every strip of bark in a tree, or do you want absolute control of your swing?

Sound: 6.0
The environment sounds are just fine, but nothing to load on your MP3 player. The commentary was well done, as it should be considering these guys are the real deal. But, I choose to turn that down or off. Things will get repetitive - no matter how well it's been produced. My focus is on the game, so the chatter is a distraction.  

Difficulty: Hard
I imagine this may be the biggest area of disagreement. By no means do I intend to indicate that this is on the level with unbeatable games that can never be mastered. However, the focus required to get a consistent swing makes this a game with a long learning curve. It's quirky, but so is the real thing. 

Concept: 7.0
They took a lot of shortcuts in the graphics area, but made up for it with their intention make the control more realistic than any other game. For that aspect, it stands out. Otherwise, the generic courses leave you missing familiar territory. But - you also get a unique opportunity to edit your courses, which is dynamically fun. It takes some time and planning, but being able to make things look the way you would do if you were in charge more than makes up for the fact that the actual terrain can blur and get painfully.... ugly.   

Overall: 7.0
The variances within this game are so great, it's a difficult task to make an overall opinion. Some people like a sports car because they want to get there fast, and with flash. Other folks prefer a luxury sedan loaded with all of the comforts of your home. Likewise, this golf game will differ and cater to a variety of players. If you love Tiger and EA's take on things, stick with that. I don't see anything wrong with that - I love those games, myself. However, if you're willing to try something new and get away from what you're used to, I encourage you to give this a try. The price is set at a "can't miss" margin, but the play is much better than the sticker may infer. Yes, there are only two real courses in the game, but since you can edit your own course, you can literally make any REAL course you like. I'm guessing you'll need a map or photographic memory to do so, but that is one benefit from playing this one the PC versus another platform. You can share your course with others, so maybe someone else will create Pinehurst, and you can just import it! The main variance is the swing. From your stance, to how much you lean, your shot is completely in your control. Back in the early days of golf games, you just had to hit the button once to start the swing, then again to execute it. This game makes that technology look like a Model T against a Viper. There's a bit more under the hood, here. If you're a purist for how hard it is in real life, you need to give this one a swing.