Reviewing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is a tricky business. On the one hand it's an extremely playable golf game with near faultless controls and a wealth of options and features that few games can match. On the other hand, it's a series that has seen only incremental improvements over the past few years and - to the untrained eye, at least - is largely indistinguishable from last year's admittedly outstanding Tiger Woods 09.

My initial impression of Tiger Woods 10 was that of a lazy update to a franchise that simply doesn't require a yearly release pattern. The majority of sports titles may do it, but without the immediate draw of player transfers and new strips that come with annual football updates, Tiger Woods becomes one hundred per cent reliant upon improvements to the presentation and core gameplay of each subsequent iteration. Of course, other sports games need these improvements too, but without those standard updates to fall back upon, Tiger Woods needs something immediately tangible to take hold of the average gamer's interest - and this is where Tiger Woods 10 initially struggles. Don't get me wrong - it's the best game in the series to date and subsequently the greatest golf game ever created - but when you are only competing against yourself (Wii golfing aside), an 'apparently' small list of subtle improvements over last year's outing makes Tiger Woods 10 a tough sell to those whose golfing history adds up to little more than repeat viewings of Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore [Why didn't you go in your home, ball? Are you too good for your home?! Best Adam Sandler movie hands down and one of my all-time favourite comedies! Happy Edmore].

That's the thing with Tiger Woods 10 though; you may initially deride the seeming lack of obvious new features and changes to last year's release, but slowly - be you a seasoned Tiger Woods veteran or just a casual player of the series - that seemingly small list of subtle improvements just keeps growing, the further you into the mind-boggling array of options and game modes. And that is where Tiger Woods 10 succeeds at its greatest level - no matter what type of gamer you are, it will almost certainly cater to your tastes. It has finally found that balance between fun, goofy golfing and serious simulation style action. It doesn't matter what kind of golf game you're looking for; the chances are that Tiger Woods 10 is that game. It still has its problems of course, but get over the initial disappointment and it's hard not to fall in love with Tiger Woods all over again.

The basic gameplay off the tee and along the fairway will be immediately familiar to anyone who has spent even a small amount of time with any Tiger Woods release of the past few years; your swing is still controlled via the right analogue stick - or be you of the old school persuasion, the three button press option - with spin and extra power added with frantic presses of the shoulder buttons. It still works a treat and it's easy to see why little has changed in this regard. After Tiger Woods 08's oversensitive analogue swing, fans of the series will be happy to hear that the basic swing system is an ever so slightly refined version of 09's almost perfect rendition. Happy days!

So far, so Tiger Woods, then. It's only when you reach the green do you notice one of Tiger Woods 10's more pronounced changes: the all-new 'precision putting' system. While essentially copying the much loved putting system found in Links 2004, its emphasis on a more realistic putting routine is a welcome addition. No longer do you need to choose between a collection of putters with a power percentage tacked on; instead you are given just one - a 'precision' putter that is more reliant upon green reading than swing percentage. It's a trickier system, one that requires patience and a more methodical approach than its forbearer, but just as is the case with nearly every other aspect of Tiger Woods 10, the option to play it your way is there. Can't get to grips with the new putting system? Just change back to the 09 putting style.

As far as basic gameplay is concerned, that's about as big a change as you're likely to find in Tiger Woods 10. There is however a pretty major change in the way this basic gameplay can be affected: the weather. While wind has been an integral part of pretty much every golf game since year zero, Tiger Woods 10 implements not only wind but also rain into the game, and it does so better than any golf - and possibly even sports - game so far. Be it windy, rainy or both, each shot is realistically affected by the playing conditions of the course that day.

Weather is also linked into one of the game's most impressive online improvements. Keep the game connected while playing and not only do you get constant but pleasingly subtle real life sports updates, but you can also play any of the game's impressively rendered sixteen golf courses with the weather that is currently occurring at the actual location. The best thing about this new feature is that you can play in tandem with PGA events in Tournament Challenge Mode, experiencing the same weather as the pros while being added to the leaderboards and getting updates from the actual golfing news that is not only happening but also affecting the game you are playing. This is arguably the closest that any of us will ever get to playing in a major sporting event and could be a very sizable step towards full integration between videogame sporting events and live sporting events.

Beyond this impressive addition, Tiger Woods 10 is still as brilliant at online play as it was last year. The slick daily and weekly tournaments are still present and accounted for, with numerous variations on basic stroke play and match play available. There are also best ball and skin options, to name but a few available to those taking the game online. The best competitive online feature has to be Simultaneous Strokes Mode though, which sees you and three others teeing off in tandem, with each player's shot showing up on your screen as a coloured line. It's unobtrusive and keeps the game moving without the need to wait for others.

Even when playing on your own, the robust online options come into play; as long as you're connected, an array of challenges appear, with options to take up challenges that usually involve either getting the longest drive or shooting closest to the hole. These are subtly integrated into gameplay and stand as a pleasing option of a secondary challenge as you play through the game. Of course, the majority of these modes and options were available last year - and in some cases the year before - which is where Tiger Woods 10 becomes a victim of its own success. Tiger Woods 07 got so much right that it becomes hard to update or even change what is essentially a fantastic set of online options. Efforts have been made of course, but as you will need to search them out if they are to become readily apparent.

The same is largely true of the single player options, although one has to admit, the sheer range of options and modes available make it hard for any kind of gamer to complain about the lack of drastic change to the formula. If you're a seasoned pro then you have US Golf Association rules, the aforementioned Tournament Challenge Mode and the all-new club tuning options, while those of a more casual, play-while-drinking-beer-with-your-friends nature have the bizarre array of customisation options that range from bunny suits to magic clothing that drastically improves your stats. Speaking of the less traditional golfing options available, there is also the inclusion of a raft of extremely fun mini-games, such as a Tiger Woods variation on H.O.R.S.E, a capture the flag game based upon hitting specific targets and Battle Golf that lets you remove clubs from your competitor's bag. They're all silly but enjoyable to play at any skill level.

Once you get into the nitty gritty of the single player experience - be it as an actual tour golfer (i.e. Tiger Woods - there really is no reason to pick any of the other thirty or so real life competitors) or as a created golfer of your own liking - the effort on the part of EA to make the game feel like more of an actual event becomes ever more apparent as you play; crowds cheer in a more realistic manner, befitting of not only the event you are playing but the hole and the importance of shot being taken, while scoreboards become part of the course and constant updates keep you more involved in the overall event than in previous years. The inclusion of the U.S Open tournament will also feel like a coup for serious golf fans, with the added inclusion of courses such as Bethpage proving extremely welcome.

Upon creating a character, be it from the array of options available or via the surprisingly awkward uploading of your photo onto the EA servers (expect mixed results when you finally get your picture up there), playing against the real world golfers on the default difficulty starts as an enjoyable albeit challenging task to keep up with the pros as your stats increase. The only problem is that after a few hours of gameplay and a collection of improvements to your created character, victory in each of the events becomes all too easy. The upgrade system does work well, with enhancements based upon performance and opportunities to improve your shots based upon replaying aspects of the course, while your in-game coach proves both helpful and easy to understand - it's just that they all combine to improve your created characters stats far too quickly, thus diluting any real challenge in the process.

Speaking of difficulty, this is something that has been tampered with for Tiger Woods 10 in an attempt to please every type of gamer out there, covering the full spectrum of clueless newcomer to Tiger Woods masters. Each difficulty level has absolutely no effect upon where you tee off or the level of opposition you play against; instead, it affects the level of accuracy needed for your own shot control. The default setting of Amateur, for instance, only asks that you swing in a vaguely back and forth motion, with most of the emphasis on club use and added power bonuses and after touch spin use. The Beginner difficulty is almost embarrassingly easy, with little to no skill required to effortlessly stroll to a 10+ under par for the round. This leaves the Pro difficulty as the perfect level for players looking for a challenge without feeling like they are constantly on the back foot. An imprecise swing sees the ball hooked or sliced into the rough, but all the bonuses of extra power input and additional spin are still available to help when in a tight spot. These bonuses are removed for those players looking for a very serious challenge on the Tour Pro difficulty setting; not only is this even more unforgiving in the swing department, but it also does away with the power and spin boosts while also removing the option of a putt preview when you make it to the green - a tricky business indeed.

In terms of presentation, Tiger Woods 10 proves to be a very mixed bag. Yes, there have been strides made towards improving the atmosphere, while the courses and golfers are all very detailed, yet it's hard to shake the feeling that all this detail is window dressing on what is essentially an engine well past its prime. The Tiger Woods engine has to be the oldest one in EA Sports' repertoire, and while they have certainly worked wonders with the engine available, an all-new graphics engine is long overdue and clearly the only way to substantially advance the visuals for future iterations, as this one is undoubtedly on its last legs - and has been for sometime. Although it isn't entirely apparent just how old the engine is from the courses, which for the most part look reasonably good, the golfers themselves just don't compare to anything seen in Fight Night Round 4 or even Madden and FIFA for that matter; they're all still a little clunky in the animation department and just don't feel as alive as the players in EA's other top tier sporting titles. The audio also proves a mixed bag of success and failure; while the crowds and ambient sounds of the course combine with live updates and audio cues to provide a rich and lively atmosphere out on the links, the commentary team do their very best to ruin any sense of realism with a constant array of imprecise and often laughably incorrect comments.

The benefits of upgrading to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 may not be immediately apparent, but spend a little time with the game and those subtle nuances, incremental details and understated new features soon begin to pile up. Tiger Woods 10 pulls off the tricky balancing act of being a game that manages to cater to every type of gamer without pandering to the wishes of some at the price of others; it's a game that covers all the bases and certainly leaves no stone unturned in its relentless quest to please everyone. It may not be a quantum leap forward for the series and the engine is undoubtedly showing its age, but Tiger Woods 10 is still a very polished product that certainly deserves a place in your collection.

Reviewed by Liam Pritchard for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).