In today's health and safety conscious world, how do landlords still allow their customers to enter their humble public house and throw sharp, spear-like objects at a target whilst consuming copious amounts of alcohol? If this sounds like a regular Saturday night at your local establishment then you should go to a pub that has a dart board instead - it'll be right up your alley!

With the sport of darts having somewhat of a renaissance in recent times, don't be surprised to see dart boards being re-hung at pubs all over Britain - but until then, why not play from the comfort of your armchair and step up to the oche in front of the TV? PDC World Championship Darts 2008 is the follow up to the 2006 title published by Oxygen Interactive, which received average reviews upon its release. This time around, developed by the team from Mere Mortals, it has had a minor revamp, with the addition of more players from the PDC Darts circuit. You can now choose between sixteen of the very best players in the world or create your very own beer-swilling, I mean, professional darts athlete, with a set of very basic options, especially when it comes to choosing your creation's apparel - you can choose between four types of lurid shirt designs. Trust me, stick with the professionals, as it's a lot less painful!

Overall, the look of the game is fairly good, although the PS2 isn't going to break a sweat with the amount of character movement set to an absolute minimum. Former World Champion Phil Taylor must be extremely impressed with how his in-game persona has turned out, as the designers have managed to knock twenty years off, give him a course of botox injections and a stomach staple at the same time - he looks wonderful in the game! However, anybody familiar with the world of darts will recognise the faces of Raymond van Barneveld and co. who, in the main, are recreated faithfully.

Once you get past the basic but functional main menu screens, you'd be forgiven for thinking that you were watching a Sky Sports broadcast. The blurb on the case states that the game has "As-seen-on-TV inspired presentation" and it certainly does, with stats often displayed onscreen as the leviathans of darts battle it out. This is where the game hits a crossroads for me. With all sports, it is hard to truly represent the activity perfectly in a videogame, and darts is no different. The game is a great representation of darts on TV, even down to the camera angles chosen to show the action and the close ups of crucial throws. The tension is all there in the presentation; however, it just doesn't transfer fully into the gameplay and represent real darts.

PDC 2008 has the regular modes you would hope to find in a sports title, with a Career mode, Tournaments, Exhibition games and a host of multiplayer mini games. If you have plenty of hours to spare and you are a big darts fan then the Career mode is for you. The simple premise of the Career mode is that by winning tournaments and exhibition matches in exotic places such as Las Vegas, Connecticut, Frankfurt and Blackpool, you climb the world rankings by boosting your winnings. This is easier said than done though, as completing tournaments can be very time consuming. Some matches can become quite drawn out, especially when they are fairly close battles. In their wisdom, the developers have included a save game function that allows you to halt the game and come back to it another time, but winning a tournament can be a laborious task - that's if you are still playing by then.

As far as the in-match controls are concerned, the learning curve shouldn't be too steep, but to master them is another matter. The control system is simple; you only use the analogue sticks during the gameplay, left stick to manoeuvre the target around the board and the right stick to generate the power and angle of the dart. The right stick is exceptionally sensitive, so expect a few darts to either go too high or veer violently away from your intended target during the first few hours of play.

In amateur mode you are assisted by an onscreen power meter that suggests the perfect power for your dart to reach its destination. The power required to propel your dart changes dramatically depending on where you want it to land. For instance, to hit a double twenty at the top of the board you will need almost maximum power to reach it, but if you wanted to hit a double three at the bottom of the board then the power needed would be a lot less, as gravity will take its course. Once you think you have mastered the technique, I would only then recommend taking on the pro and master difficulties, as the assistance you received in amateur is no longer available. The power meter is unceremoniously taken away from you and it's up to you to decide what the correct weight of the throw is.

Holding your nerve during tense moments is another skill you will have to master, especially when it comes to checkouts and opportunities to achieve a maximum score of 180. When pressure moments occur, the target on the board starts to move as if you've had one too many pints before the match, which although highly unrealistic, does add a feeling of tension to that particular point in the game. All too many times though, your opponent will be better at checking out than you, leaving you with a real sense of frustration. Nine times out of ten your opponent will complete the checkouts comfortably, even if you are up against an amateur player. Real darts fans may persevere with the odds stacked against them, but gamers who have no real affinity with the sport may well get bored with the predictability.

Whilst we are on the subject of predictability, I must say a word about the commentary gems produced by Sid Waddell, the so called 'voice of darts'. Waddell's work in the studio probably totalled ten minutes with a tea break in the middle to rest his vocal chords. Prepare yourself for some real treats such as "I don't think you could get a better looking audience, even if you served botox with pie & chips." You'll never tire of being ridiculed by Waddell when a throw goes slightly wayward - "There is only one word for that... Naff-a-rama." As far as I was aware, there wasn't such a word. Waddell fans will be extremely disappointed with the lacklustre performance in this game, as he is genuinely a very good sports commentator. The general hubbub of the darts arena is recreated well here, but the commentary does let things down.

Once you have played the Career mode and sampled the Tournament mode, where you can create you own competitions and leagues, all that's left to do is to play some mini games. The party games, as they are called, extend the life of the game somewhat, as you can play with up to eight friends. In total there are fourteen games that vary in quality, but they are all reasonably entertaining multiplayer games, ranging from standard versions of 701, 501 and 301 to games such as 'cricket' and 'killer'. Cricket does what it says on the tin really, another bastion of British sport played on a dartboard. One player has to score as many 'runs' by achieving a high total from their throws, whilst the other player has to throw his darts at the bull to take a wicket. It is a great concept when played on a real dartboard, but the virtual version is just as addictive. A couple of the mini-games are pretty pointless such as, 'Black and White', where one player has to hit the white segments of the board, whilst the other hits the black parts, but other than that the mini-games are a success.

PDC World Championship Darts 2008 has its entertaining moments, but it will not hold your attention for too long unless you are a diehard darts fan. The mini-games extend the experience for non-fans, but the frustrating nature of the gameplay coupled with the time it takes to progress in tournaments and the career mode may well curb your interest. PDC Darts needs something a little extra and the PS2 can't provide it - maybe the Wii version will be more successful, and even a 360 or PS3 version with online capabilities would possibly give it that missing element, but unfortunately the PS2 has its limitations, leaving PDC 2008 Entertaining for a while, but flawed.

Reviewed by Mark Carlton for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).