With a deluge of distinctly awful Wii titles flooding the market as every man and his dog wants a slice of the console's popularity, the line between good, bad and truly horrific has been blurred as they all vie for space on the shelves of local game retailers. The problem facing Super Swing Golf is that it unfortunately encompasses the good, the bad and the truly horrific in one neat package.

Super Swing Golf, or Pangya as it's known to anyone familiar with its web-based incarnation, is an anime-styled fantasy golf game. This is where Super Swing Golf's first disadvantage rears its head. Pangya, the online multiplayer version of the game, can be played free of charge on any half-decent PC by visiting the Pangya website. So, Super Swing Golf is already up against it in the value stakes, but it also neglects one of the vital elements within its web-based predecessor - the fact that you can play online with other like-minded fantasy golf enthusiasts. However, the console version does manage to trump the online game in some respects; you just don't get the same satisfaction from swinging a keyboard around that you do by using the Wiimote, which is tailor made to simulate a golf club.

Super Swing Golf is no Tiger Woods, and it doesn't pretend to be. If you like the challenge of some of the greatest courses in the world such as St. Andrews, Pebble Beach and Turnberry, this is probably not the game for you. On the other hand, if you fancy playing golf on Pangya Island then you've hit the jackpot. At first glance, Pangya Island has a striking resemblance to certain parts of Isle Delfino in Super Mario Sunshine; it certainly has that cutesy feeling to it, especially as your caddie isn't a human being, but instead resembles what can only be described as a cat that's shaped like a handbag. Please stick with me though, as Pangya Island is a little difficult to explain and anime has a tendency to produce slightly surreal environments, so we shouldn't be surprised.

You can explore the golf courses on Pangya Island in the single player tour mode, which consists of battling your rivals in a mixture of versus matches and mini-games. Each time you beat an opponent, you are free to progress further across the island and rewarded by unlocking costumes and accessories to kit out your character. Life on Pangya Island starts out with choosing which character you want to be, either a cheeky little scamp called Scout or Hana, a typical anime-style female character from the' how-to-produce-a-cute-girl-for-a-video-game' mould. The other three female characters that are available to unlock throughout the game look remarkably similar too. Once you've chosen who will wield your golf club, you are dropped into Isle Delfino - sorry, I mean Pangya Island - where you are greeted by a highly inappropriate character called Brie, who looks like a cross between a witch and a dominatrix, leaving little to the imagination. Once she has spouted gibberish for five minutes, filling you in on the flimsy, pointless storyline, you actually get down to the serious business of playing golf, which is extremely good fun... in places.

There are two control methods; the more orthodox use of a controller is available if you really find standing up for a few minutes and swinging the Wiimote around too strenuous, but something is lost in translation when controlling the game in this manner. The controls are very easy to get used to and are very intuitive. Standing correctly - as though you are taking a real swing of a golf club - is half the battle. Once you have practiced your swing, it's very simple to get the hang of timing a button press to launch your ball at full velocity. Holding the Wiimote like a golf club and beginning your swinging action activates the bar on the screen that indicates how far the ball is likely to travel if you were to perform the full swing and connect successfully. Once you are happy with the projected distance then you press and hold A to begin the downward motion of the swing, coming down to strike your imaginary ball. By releasing the A button you connect with the ball, hopefully sending it the required distance. The only other element you have to control is the slice; as you follow your shot through, it's vital to make sure the Wiimote doesn't twist in your hands as you complete your swing, otherwise you may end up horribly slicing your shot and sending it off course.

However, there is one drawback with the controls that quickly becomes apparent when you reach the green. For some reason, putting just doesn't feel as instinctive as taking shots from the tee or the fairway and, to be honest, it's somewhat frustrating, especially against a CPU opponent who takes full advantage of your handicap. As with many golf games, a grid is used to map the undulations in the green and give an indication of where best to putt. Super Swing Golf's system is just clumsy and confusing; it can be quite infuriating being thwarted by the greens - even when you think you have taking every conceivable element into consideration, the ball still manages to have a life of its own.

Whilst we are on the subject of slight quirks in the game, there are a few other niggles that hamper it somewhat. At times, the awkward camera angle leaves you wondering where your ball has gone as it erratically swings around trying to track it, but the camerawork is part of a deeper problem. The general presentation of the game is distinctly average. Graphically it is full of colour and life but it's rough around the edges, whilst navigating around the menus is uninspiring stuff. Another small glitch that may irk you after a while is the length of time between the ball hitting the ground and it actually coming to a full stop. On one particular occasion I thought the ball would never stop and there is no way of skipping the animation. This is particularly tedious on the ice-based course, where the ball has a tendency to bounce against objects when it lands, meaning that ball continues rolling to ridiculous lengths.

If you can see past these issues then the Tour mode is quite substantial and offers many hours of gameplay. The fantasy elements of the game are also quite good fun. As you travel through the island you are awarded Pang points for good shots, which fill up your Pangya Combo Gauge. Once you have a sufficient amount in the gauge you can use Pang to perform a special array of shots. A personal favourite of mine is the Tomahawk shot that, when enabled, allows you to hit the ball much higher, clearing objects easily, and when it reaches its final destination, the ball doesn't travel any further but just stops dead. The ball not rolling can be a great advantage if you want to place an accurate shot near the flag, or if your target area happens to be near potential hazards.

Other single player modes include a versus CPU mode that allows you to choose between Stroke Play and Match Play and there's also an area to practice your skills away from competition. The obligatory clubhouse is where you can buy items with points collected throughout the game and change your character's clothing, equipment and other such paraphernalia.

Without online capabilities, Super Swing Golf would almost be expected to have a huge variation of multiplayer options to choose from. However, multiplayer games are extremely light on the ground. Balloon Pop - which seems like a half-baked idea that was created just to bulk the game content out a little bit - is probably the weakest of the mini-games. The object of the game is to hit as many of the cluster of balloons hovering above the course as you can within your shot allowance, the winner being the one who bursts the most balloons. As mini-games go it just feels a little hollow. On the other hand, Darts - used in the loosest sense of the word - is quite enjoyable. This game is like chipping practice and challenges your short game. The 'dartboard' consists of a set of rings around the green and the nearer your ball lands to the flag, the more points you are awarded. Each hole has a designated target score that you have to get near to in your three attempts; if you exceed that score, you lose. The other multiplayer offerings include a driving contest where each player has three attempts at driving the ball and the player who manages to drive the furthest yardage in total wins. If none of the mini-games tickle your fancy then there's always the good, old-fashioned Stroke Play and Match Play for the traditionalists.

As I mentioned in my introduction, Super Swing Golf is a real mixed bag. The gameplay in general is good, while the Tour mode is lengthy and adds some substance to the game. The lack of variation in the multiplayer games is a drawback though, as is the average presentation that makes it a little painful on the eyes. Super Swing Golf suffers from these highs and lows; the potential is there as an alternative to simulations such as Tiger Woods, but it struggles to be anything more than average.

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