The nights are drawing in. The goose is getting fat. That can only mean one thing – it must be time for the traditional pre-Christmas release of EA’s blockbuster golf game.

Indeed, the autumn arrival of a ‘new’ EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour title has been an almost annual event since 1999. Compared to, say, the fast-moving world of the Premiership, you might not think that the relatively sedate world of golfing championships would warrant a yearly update. But here we are again anyway.

It’s safe to say that not a lot has changed here since Tiger Woods last graced our PC monitors, but somehow that just doesn’t seem to matter.

For what it’s worth, there’s a new Team Tour mode, in which you must pick a squad and square up against Tiger and his cohorts across a series of increasingly challenging events. Also included is an extended selection of other pro golfers to tee off against.

The game also takes character creation to dizzy new heights, with an amazing range of customisable attributes to tweak as well as seemingly limitless items and accessories to purchase as you earn cash throughout your career.

PC gamers have the right to feel a little hard done by, since the desktop version contains far fewer courses than its console cousins (just 12).

If you have a decent graphics card, then you can take some comfort from the fact that the game will look a whole lot better on your computer than it does on a PS2 or Xbox. Cloud shadows and foliage are particular graphical highlight. Motion-captured character animations are ultra-realistic, too.

Above all, the control system remains as satisfying as ever. If you fancy a golf game or you’re a fan and you’ve missed out on one or two of Tiger’s more recent outings then the 2007 version is definitely worth a shot.

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