Tiger Woods PGA Tour '06

On the surface, Tiger Woods PGA Tour '06 may not seem like a game for kids. Sure, there are no guns, or violence, or even adult themes, but for some reason people don't view this as a kids game. Maybe it's because people think you need to understand how to play golf to enjoy the game. It could stem from the increasing complexity of the controls of sports games in general. I think that Tiger Woods PGA Tour '06 can be as fun for kids as any other game, even for kids who do not know a thing about golf.

There are several modes of play available, including Rivals Mode, PGA Tour Season Mode, Battle Golf and Traditional Games.

• 'Rivals' mode would be similar to a 'career' or 'campaign' mode were you play against other 'golfers' controlled by the CPU. In this version of the game you face golfers, both real and fictional, from the past and present. As you progress through the game, you unlock other golfers and new courses, some real and some created in the minds of the EA Sports engineers.
• PGA Tour Season mode allows you to play through up to 30 years of PGA Tour events.
• Battle golf pits 2 players against each other in a match play event where the winner of each hole removes a club from the bag of his/her opponent, or adds one back to their own bag.
• Traditional Games lets you play against others, or by yourself in a variety of game formats, including stroke play or match play.

There is a 'Play Now' option on the main menu which will help you get out and playing quickly. This is configurable so that you may specify how many players will be playing, which course to play and which golfer to to play as. My kids prefer navigating through the menu so that they may pick there own golfer and course. As you may have guessed, more often than not, they want to play as Tiger. This is a great idea for kids playing for the first time because Tiger is, by far, the best golfer in the game. If you have four players, they can each choose Tiger, each with different clothes to make it easier to know who is who out on the course.

For most kids under 10, I would recommend playing stroke play under Traditional Games. For those unfamiliar with the term, 'stroke play' is when you add up your strokes for each hole for your total score. This is also the scoring method used during most professional golf events.

The game play could not be simpler. By default, the swing is controlled by the left thumb stick. You simply pull the thumb stick back to start the swing (the backswing), and you push it forward to complete the swing (the follow-through). That's it. It's that easy. There are ways you can get more complicated with the swing, like 'powering up' the swing by pressing the white button during the backswing and pressing the black button when the ball is in the air to put spin on the ball which controls how it will react when it lands. However, to enjoy the game, kids don't need to use any of these controls.

You have the choice of playing 11 licensed courses, as well as quite a few courses that were created just for the game. The 'real' courses tend to be easier to play than the 'fantasy' courses, and for first timers, I would recommend playing St. Andrews. Its has a wide open layout, very little water, and not one tree on the course. This makes it easier to recover from poor shots, which, in turn, gives you a better chance to shoot a good score. If kids can play well from the start, they will stay interested in the game. At least that's how it was with my kids.

My only complaint about the game is putting. There is a grid that appears on the green that is supposed to help you see whether the shot is uphill or downhill, or if it will break left or right. For me the grid and arrows that appear are confusing, and I often misinterpret this information and 'misread' the green. My kids, however, don't even notice the grid, nor do they re-adjust there aim to take into account that they may be putting uphill, or downhill. Yet, they both enjoy the game quite a bit.

One feature of the game which has kept my kids occupied longer than I thought possible is the 'Game Face'. You can create your own profile, which allows you to track your scores and accomplishments throughout all modes of play. While creating your profile, you have the ability to design your own golfer. You can choose more details about your golfer than you could probably imagine. From clothing styles and colors, to club selection, to height and weight, to facial features, you can control every physical feature of your golfer. My kids have spent time trying to see who can make their golfer look the funniest, and can be heard laughing about it all the way upstairs. Fortunately, you can bypass most of this or only choose to alter a few features, such as hair style and color.

To give you an idea of how kid friendly the game can be, my youngest son, who is 4, scored 3 strokes under par the second time he ever played the game, and my oldest son, who is 7, almost beat me last week. With the kids playing as Tiger, and I as my profile character, the game is almost even because Tiger is a better golfer than my character, and the kids often out drive me off the tee. While knowledge of the game, and how it is played is not essential, an interest in golf is definitely a plus. My kids' interest in golf has actually increased since they start playing the video game on a regular basis.

Note: This game is also supported on PS2, GameCube and XBox 360. As per company provided product details the game should be identical on all platforms, however we've only played it on Xbox, and this review is based only on the game as played.
Screenshots shown are from Xbox 360 version.