EA Sports has been producing games for the fans of the Links for quite some time now. Ever since the transition from "PGA Tour" to "Tiger Woods", the series has become less arcade like. Each year, EA gets closer to simulation, while still keeping the game fresh and fun. This year the PlayStation 2 version is easily the best offering yet, and paves the way for the future of the series. Take a look...

Graphically, Tiger comes out swinging with a brand new engine. Not only are the golfers 3D rendered, but the courses are as well. Player models have a pretty high polygon count and perform the little nuances that the actual players do on the links. This is great for fans of the sport. The game's new engine is clean and looks fantastic, but EA still has to work on eliminating the jaggies. Each course is rendered beautifully, with nice effects to be seen throughout. One really cool visual feature is displayed while reading the green. Instead of the classic grid effect, the green and surroundings will morph to show where all the hills and breaks are located. I've noticed some reviewers have hated this option; I on the other hand think it makes for some good green reading. Very impressive engine and a solid platform for future versions, nice work EA.

Sounds do their job, but there's nothing fantastic about them. All your golf audio is present with wind blowing, birds chirping, etc. The game would have benefited more from play by play. The announcer does a good job when he's there, but for some reason he only decides to speak while you're on the green. Next year, they should utilize those talents by giving player bios, and more play by play. All in all there's nothing too bad about the audio, just nothing all that great.

Gameplay is very strong, even with the omission of the traditional timing bar. No longer do you perform a simple action of pressing X when the meter hits its destination, you now have more interaction with the analog sticks. This not only adds variety to each shot, but just like golf, makes it more dependent on your skill, not just timing. This feature was introduced in an earlier Tiger Woods, but the option could be turned off. Not this year, you'll either do or do not...there is no try. Making your way around the course is nice, as the game lets you view the course from all angles. Like I mentioned earlier, the putting is fantastic. I hope EA decides to keep this morphing idea, personally. One thing I'm happy to see is the option to turn the "in air spin" on or off. I never was a fan of it, so I'm happy to see it's an option for us who like a challenge.

This is a fine playing golf game but the features have a lot to be desired. This is why the game did not receive an A, and damn it, it could have. You have your usual options, Match, Skins, Practice, Stroke and Tournament, but it's the fantasy part that fails. First off you only have 6 golfers to choose from to play as. Sure they are all rendered to the "T" but why only six? Also, why aren't there any generic players or even a create-a-golfer? The number of option gets smaller and smaller each year, which is starting to get me angry... and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Secondly, there are only 3 courses. I know the game was anticipated by many, so I blame all of you, the public, for making EA rush this out. Lastly, there's a bit of stat tracking, but nothing for individual stat tracking. On the other hand, one of the coolest parts of this game, is the Play Now option. This option drops you into a scenario mode, which helps hone your skills in different circumstances and conditions. Very cool! While some of the omissions are a shame, it doesn't take away from how good this game really is. Next year though, there is no excuse. Got it?

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2001 isn't without its flaws, but there is way more good than bad, and most of the bad is hardly worth mentioning. A few improvements here and there and EA with dominate in Golf once again. Tiger Woods is easily worth a purchase, it just will seem stale after a while.