Hot Shots Golf Open Tee

Now we know what you're thinking here and for the record, no the concept of role-playing golf didn't seem an obvious winner to us either. As if Colin Montgomerie and co weren't dull enough, the addition of several 20-sided die and a dungeonmaster was hardly likely to help (go on Seve, it's you against the 3-headed gorgon, I'd try the eight iron myself!).

Fortunately thanks to the sheer wonders of Japanification, Hot Shots Golf Open Tee (which will be released in the UK as Everybody's Golf) not only hammers this unlikely genre combination well down the fairway, it gets pretty damn pin high (that means it's quite good, non-golfing fans - Ed)

At its heart, this is a solid golfing game that can stand up to anything in the genre. The courses are well modelled with trees, lakes, sand-traps and even mountains coming into play, whilst weather, ground undulation and type of lay (e.g. rough, semi-rough, sand) also play a part in shot selection. Crucially the actual business of stroke control is similarly well-handled, being easy to pick up but tricky to master and allowing for a variety of different approaches (e.g. you can punch a shot low or chip high and add draw or ball-spin). So far, so fairway then. Where the game really stands apart is what's been added on top of these solid foundations.

Where most golf games are content to reward your efforts with a shiny cup or maybe an improved ranking, Open Tee provides you with new clubs, balls, shots and more. As these have some effect on the way you play, such as enabling you to hit further or more accurately, there's a real choice of strategies on offer. This tactical element is further increased by the decision about which of the bug-eyed junior golfers you chose to use to approach each challenge. At the start this is a relatively simple choice of two - Mika's a better putter, Nick hits the ball harder but is tougher to control. But as you progress and unlock new characters, as well as improve the existing ones, the decision becomes ever trickier. Perhaps more interesting for non-golfers however is the ability to win items to adorn your chosen golfer such as shirts, trousers, caps and sun-glasses. In this regard, the game really is as much about great t-shirts as great tee-shots.

So all in all, it's hard not to fall in love with Open Tee. The characters' boundless enthusiasm somehow never grates (why can't Tiger Woods slide along the fairway like that?) and the excitement of collecting a new outfit or getting praise for an 'ultra-shot' seldom fades. The only criticism is the lack of courses - there are only six and you have to unlock them in turn. But apart from that Open Tee is an object lesson in making games fun - in multiplayer you can even taunt other players to put them off their stroke. Hot Shots Golf (also sold as Everybody's Golf) is on sale now.