I'm starting to love EA more and more these days. Tiger Woods, which I gave a full ten out of ten to last year is back with a roster of new content that will appeal to everybody in the new 2006 edition of the popular franchise. Last year I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this golfing game, I'll admit that I don't like proper golf myself (it's the clothes, I just can't get the clothes right!) But why would I need to learn how to golf properly when Tiger Woods offers so much control over the ball? And instead of golfing with my boss, my colleague, or my friend, I can go one better and golf with the likes of Tiger Woods, or even travel back in time and challenge golfers from that era. Yes, Tiger Woods is back, and it's a jolly good show old chap!

I feel that the graphics have really improved since last year, which is saying something, because last year the graphics were fantastic too. The characters look stunning - whether you've made the character yourself, or the character is supposed to represent a real life golfer (Mr. Woods), everyone is so identifiable, likeable and so very realistic, as far as games go. The environments are luscious and green, the courses are well thought out; every graphical aspect really makes the overall package feel like a work of art. The character you created, using the new and improved Gameface, pulls off a multitude of expressions as he putts the ball, or misses the hole, either pleased or dissatisfied with the shot he's just pulled off - you can instantly see what your character is feeling, thanks to some clever graphics. He might do one of those sarcastic 'great' smiles that offers the audience a grin but lets the player know that he's really cursing his luck right now. Then there's that over the moon smile, those victorious dances and even those bad tempered putter-snaps, which take place over the knee. The great thing is, in Gameface you can set some expressions and signature moves, such as moves for when things go right or wrong. Of course, the game still maps your character around a very lifelike character, which as mentioned above, smiles, looks sad and even blinks.

Gameface remains the most in-depth character creation system to date; I would say it even surpasses The Sims 2's character modifier, even though some aspects of Tiger Woods' character maker does borrow elements from the The Sims 2 character creator. You can edit absolutely anything on the face and I don't mean just picking a nose from a long list, you can actually edit the whole geometry of almost any body part. I'm sure that would come in handy for both men and woman in real life too! However, before your dirty mind drifts off, I will say that most editing takes place on the face, hence the Gameface name - but after spending an hour on my character from head to toe, I had something that looked like me. You can even edit hair to some extent, although you do have to pick a type from a long list, you can then increase things like length to create a totally new look.

Amazingly the Gameface keeps on giving and giving. Not only did I make my face look somewhat similar, if not a little bit more handsome, I kitted myself out in what I thought I'd look like if I were to be a pro-golfer; clothes, balls, clubs, accessories - and then I even went on to create a character voice, by selecting from one of five voice types, and then adjusting the pitch I managed to get my right tone of voice, minus the Yorkshire accent. In other words, I heard myself well spoken.

Dumbfounded with the high level of choice and the realistic graphics, I set out on My Tour, participating in some traditional game modes, like Stroke, Match and Skin games and more interesting traditional game modes like Alternate Shot, where teammates alternate shots between the same ball until it's in the hole - all the traditional modes offer some classic Tiger Woods gameplay, most of which can be played with your friends.

The main modes consist of a real-time calendar that taps into your console's clock and shows you upcoming golfing days that you can partake in if you wish, for prizes, money and stats - which essentially is what most of the game is about: improving and bettering yourself with premium equipment and higher character stats. Then there's the PGA Tour Season Mode, which is your gateway to a heap of information and statistics that allow you to keep track of your golfer's position on the leader board and keep an eye on things such as sponsorships. While accessing games via the calendar offers a more mainstream rewarding golf, there is one new inclusion in 2006 that will blow your mind.

And that's the rivals mode. This is where the game gets really fun! You get to travel back in time and compete against both real and fantasy golfers from a specific era. Once you've completed one era, you can move on, through many different ages. Old golfers (who appear young back in the day) use old equipment and old clothes and dance around like you'd expect today's older generation to dance around. Some golfers appear very Shakespearean and as time progresses and you advance, you'll start travelling forward to the modern day. Rivals mode contains various challenges from golfers, like getting the ball out of the sand and onto the green, nearest to the hole wins, best out of three and so on. Little objectives like these add a lot of fun to the overall package and make a nice change from traditional golf. As well as being challenged by golfers, your room (where you review challenges and equip yourself with new stats and equipment) is also themed nicely around the era. When you come to buy equipment, you can buy that era's golfing gear to make yourself fit in with the crowd. This mode has been thought out well and it plays like a dream.

The overall golfing experience, be it against rivals, playing proper 18 hole matches, or even playing with a friend offline or online feels great, and it feels like a step up from last year's fantastic analogue stick putting system. Just like last year, the left analogue stick is used innovatively. Pull back the stick to bring your club up and then gently or as viciously as you like, push forward the stick to whack the ball from its tee. You can even pull back the stick a little to the left or right to hit the ball from special angle if you think you'll benefit from it. A new addition sees the right stick put to some use too. There is a golf ball icon in the right hand corner with a little dot marker on. You can move this marker with the right stick, while multitasking and moving your left analogue stick to move the club. Moving the marker to the bottom of the ball icon makes the club hit at that point, which gives the ball extra elevation. Holding the marker at the top of the ball ensures that the ball doesn't have much elevation. You can even go left and right, or diagonally, to give the ball that extra modification, which can improve your chances if studied correctly. You have to hold the left stick in the position you're happy with until you've hit the ball, but pulling off a well thought out shot feels great.

The old Tiger Eye has been done away with, which showed you a line to putt your ball almost perfectly. Instead we now have a camera with unlimited use, which runs from the ball to the hole and aids you in the sense that by seeing the camera slope to the right, you'll have to adjust your line appropriately. While this system doesn't make things too obvious, anybody who's remotely good at this game will be able to use this unlimited view and should be able to putt every hole with practice. If you ask me, this makes things a tad less challenging. You also have more control over you ball by rapidly tapping a shoulder button during your backswing to increase the power of the hit. And then you can put backspin onto the ball in mid air - all of these features feel fantastic, but make things even easier for that lazy gamer. It's like Internet shopping, they make it easier to do every year and soon there'll be no time for second thoughts or no moment to feel any emotion towards your new purchase. You'll just speak to your PC to order a game and it'll do it in seconds on its own. Sometimes a bit of challenge or a hint of old school skill goes a long way!

However, having ultimate control over your ball is something that real golf won't offer - just like professional snowboarders will never be able to pull off any SSX tricks and basketball players will never play in a team of three, on a street, earning gamebreakers! Speaking of which, in Tiger Woods 06 you can earn gamebreakers by performing really well. Also, by performing well you'll see special statistical icons appear on the left, which means that you've just earned points in that stats area to spend your points and improve. Gamebreakers add another laid back feel to the game; they take a long while to build up, but once you have one, pulling this off is a lot of fun. Another new feature is the ability to call shots and place wagers on both rounds and shots, to earn yourself some crust. Although I've got loads of money now, but nothing to spend it on!

I've mentioned how great the graphics look, how realistic and engaging the scenery feels and that the whole game just sports that wow-factor where graphics are concerned - despite this, if you've seen the Xbox 360 screens you'll be blown away even more. The sound is just as excellent too. The commentators keep you smiling, as well as keeping you informed. Their tone of voice lends well to the relaxed pace of the game and they often crack jokes that are quite subtle and will fly right over a youngster's head. Ambient nature sounds accompany the rounds of golf and EA Trax has some classic, well fitting songs for the menus. Considering you might spend an hour playing about with a Gameface, it's nice to have some low tempo relaxing tracks to really improve the mood.

You can challenge your friends online to a number of courses and matches, one of the match types being Battle Golf, which is another form of Match Play where the play is against all other users for clubs - it's only a two player game, but it can be quite fun. Whichever mode you play you're bound to have fun, but that putting camera cannot be disabled, which means exploiters from around the globe that have spent a few hours studying the camera will be able to thrash you on the green, unless you're equally as good. It's a shame, but if you have a friend that's the same level as you then some fun can definitely be had online.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 is a little less realistic perhaps than last year's edition, or the one before that. However, it looks and sounds better than ever, with a host of real and fantasy modes and characters, a mix that offers a lot of variety for both casual and hardcore gamers. As always, it's a game that's easy to pick up and very difficult to put down and as such recommended to everyone.

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).