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Golf must be one of the most frustrating, yet addictive, pastimes. Everybody must have brandished a slim tube of metal in the hope of knocking a small ball into holes. Levels of skill range from the incompetently bad, like those who whack great chunks of divot (technical team) all over the fairways leaving huge craters in the lush green grass, to the smarmy "I drive a Jag" players who churn up the aforementioned divots just because they're being flash.

However, if plus fours and lurid jumpers are not your thing, EA have released a new addition to the PGA family for all you armchair golfers.

The problem with the previous 'upgrades' is that they were over-reliant on simply providing new courses for their variation. This time, EA have thrown all the old aspects out of the window and revamped the entire thing. The graphics are now in complete 3D with photo-realistic golfers added for good measure. As always, there is a new course to hack and slash your way around - in this case it's Spyglass Hill.

But, because of the complexity of the graphics, there is only room for that, and two other courses: Sawgrass, which is the old daddy having appeared in most of the other titles, and River Highlands, which made its debut in PGA 3.

A completely new game engine for the now classic PGA Golf series.

Hit little balls with little sticks, and aim for little holes.

A new and novel feature to crop up in this is the ability to 'Gimmie'. Confused? Let me explain, my child. If you end up with a fantastic shot that ends up so close it's unmissable, or you roll up a putt inches away, an option called 'gimmie' appears enabling you to pick up the ball without putting.

This adds one to your score and saves time and hassle. Unfortunately it's only available on the practice rounds. Never mind.

The swing meter has now undergone a change of image. Instead of the usual bar along the bottom, it comes in the form of an arc, surrounding the golfer's body. Three button presses must be made in order to take a shot. One to start, one to stop the backswing and the final one to halt the downstroke. If, for some reason, you miss out one of the presses, then your golfer will duff his shot and the ball will travel approximately three yards.

For those who think that's quite far, just remember, the average sneeze blasts snot particles over 25 feet!

The game can incorporate up to four human players, but if you feel you need a bit of a personality change, there are ten American PGA Tour pros for you to play as or play against. Each one has their own swing and strengths, and it is advisable to play to these. All the best Yanks (if there is such a thing) are here, meaning you can play as a pro and even look like one. Triffic.

The range of game styles to try your hand at is broader than the entrants for a whale lookalike contest. Obviously you can play a tournament on any of the courses, but you can also play an 18 or 9 hole practice round, or Match Play in which the best score wins the hole, and whoever has claimed the most holes at the end of the round wins.

The EA Shoot Out consists of four players, human or computer, and the person with the highest score at the end of the hole is eliminated. There is the driving range, practice putting green and 'play a single hole' options, but the best for multi-player frivolity is the skins option.

Each hole has a certain amount of money on it, and the lowest score wins the cash. If the hole is tied, it's carried over and added to the next hole until someone wins.

At last! An EA sequel that isn't completely the same as the original(s). PGA Golf is a totally new game and what a corker it is. Even though the basic stuff is all there, it's all presented in a new manner, and means that you are playing a virtually new game.

The swing meter needed a change and this time it's a lot harder to get a perfect shot, meaning hours of practice are needed. Also, the shots are affected by the type of lie you have. If you are on an upslope, the shot will veer left regardless.

It's little details like that that make these PGA games what they are. The fact that there are only three courses is a bit of a bummer for one-player modes, but overall it's a much needed new format. In my view, it works really well.

What a peach of a game. I deny anyone with even the deepest loathing of golf not to get even mildly addicted to this detailed and user-friendly simulation. What really appeals to me is the refreshing 3D effect and the superb responsiveness of the 'swingometer'.

Timing your swings requires split-second control and anything less than perfect would have scuppered the whole game. On the down side, the cartridge can't seem to keep up with all the visual garnishing EA have added, and it can be very slow in loading holes up sometimes. But what's golf if it's not a leisurely pursuit?

Graphics 92%
P. The new 3D landscapes and presentation screens work well.
N. But it is quite slow loading after each shot.

Animation 90%
P. The players are pretty much photo-realistic, you know.

Music 86%
P. Typical crappy American music between each hole and presentation screens.

Effects 85%
P. Chirpy birds and crowd claps are still good.
N. But there's no speech!

Playability 91%
P. A whole new game style to get used to.
N. May dissuade some people used to the old winning formula.

Lastability 90%
P. Although it's tough to master the new swing bar, you won't want to stop trying.
N. There are only three courses.

Overall 90%
The rewrite was long overdue, but well worth the wait. Even the old PGA fans will find a new lease of gameplay.