EA, masters of disguise, have seen fit to release the next title in their Tiger Woods franchise, adding 2005 to the end for ease of distinguishing between versions. I guess you could look at it as renewing your membership at the clubhouse each year, but instead of having the greens slightly modified by the groundsman (maybe a hole needs to be moved around the green or bunker added to the course), you get a bunch of new courses and new options. And we all know EA are the kings of updating their franchises on a yearly basis. So, what's new in Tiger Woods 2005?

Gameplay

Essentially the core gameplay stays the same, with the exception of a few things. First off, the new addition to the gameplay is Tiger Vision. When putting, you can earn up to three Tiger Vision points which allow you 10 seconds to line up your putt with a marker. This marker is pretty much exactly where you want to hit the ball to get it in, so use them sparingly for those huge or difficult putts. While this is a nice idea, it does dilute the overall experience of playing the game as it's not your judgement and skill that sink those game winning putts but just lining your marker up with the 'sweet spot'. You can turn this feature off or just not use it at all which is what I would recommend. A welcome addition is the ability to adjust your stance when hitting the ball. Tap the button and you can move ahead or behind the ball for a lower or more lofted shot. Finally, you're now given the option to play the game on Tour Mode difficulty. This makes the gameplay much more precise and you really have to think about where you want to place the ball for the next shot. Miss and go in the rough and there's no fancy way out of it as with the regular difficulty.

EA are really pushing their all new Create-a-Player mode (GameFace 2) and with good reason too. It is incredibly deep, with a ton of features and options, you can really create the player you want to create, even down to how much your character flexes his knees on the backswing. For those who want to jump straight in and play, you are able to create a random character with some genuinely amusing results. Another new feature, and probably the most talked about, is the ability to 'Tiger Proof' the courses. When playing, you'll earn tokens you can spend on changing all of the holes in the courses that come with the game. Want to increase the size of a bunker to monstrous proportions? No problem. Shrink a water hazard to make a difficult hole easier? Your choice. There is a lot of customisation available to you but maybe next year they'll give you the option to create your dream 18 from scratch, not just a mix of different holes from various courses. A step in the right direction but not there just yet.

The World Tour has been replaced with the My Legend Pursuit. Starting off playing against stock EA characters, you'll progress onto games against real-life golfing legends such as Vijay Singh and Jack Nicklaus. Wining these gives you the tokens to spend on Tiger Proofing courses as well as money to spend. The PGA tour mode and Real Time Calendar are still there to play through and with the addition of nine new courses along with some classics, there is a massive amount of things to do before the game is complete.

Graphics

Again, more refining what is already there more than revolutionising the videogame golfing world. Certainly not a bad thing as there are some truly gorgeous scenes at sunrise and sunset that show off the 'wow' factor. Graphics are sharper and cleaner and it remains the best looking golf game available. Motion capture is still excellent and the way you have set your character up does show when you're on the course, swinging your clubs.

Sound

Thankfully, we're given the option to use custom soundtracks but the stock EA music does the job nice enough. Commentary is still the best around, not just in a golf game but any sports game. Good advice is dished out as often as the cutting comments and some is just plain funny.

Overall

Another superb update to a superb game which is kind of the sticking point too. It's a must-buy for those who have yet to experience the series and it remains the best golf game on Xbox by far but is it worth shelling out another forty quid or so just for a few new features? Well, the die-hard fans will buy it regardless of what new feature it includes but for those who enjoy the odd knock about here and there, they may not get the fullest out of this version. For those who play it seriously, there is a lot to get out of it and will take a fair amount of time to completely finish. For those who just play casually, they should still enjoy the new features but may come away feeling that they could have bought something else and stuck with the older version. It's a fantastic game either way and definitely recommended for those new to the series.