First look at Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for iPhone and iPad

He's back!

The golfer with the longest shaft in the clubhouse and the keenest eye for the birdies has returned to the iOS platform after a two-year hiatus.

Since that maiden appearance on iPhone in April 2009, Eldrick "Tiger" Woods has certainly kept himself busy, fine-tuning his stroke play and honing his ball skills in a number of cities.

So, how's he looking?

Sticking steadfastly to Will Smith's summertime maxim, "if it ain't broke, then don't try to fix it", EA has barely tampered with the core mechanics in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12.

Which means the much-lauded swing-o-meter takes centre stage again, inviting you to swipe down for the backswing and up for the forward swing and follow-through.

Any - intentional or otherwise - deviatiation translates into draw or fade, the emphasis placed on a smooth, rhythmic, fluid action.

Every shot you take nets your personalised PGA Tour avatar a few extra spondoolies, congruent to the level of your accomplishment. An albatross, a chip-in, or a hole-in-one will, therefore, boost your bank balance considerably more than a bog-standard GIR.

As in the previous incarnation, you can spend these accumulated funds either on improvements to your created player's attributes ('approach' and 'drive control' to name but two) or on the tournaments' mandatory entry fees.

If you'd prefer to recreate some real-life duels, eight professional swingers, including Eldrick himself and the delightfully named Paula Creamer, are playable from the start.

Upgraded visuals

The increased level of graphical detail is evident off the tee: Draw distances have been improved and galleries are finally both audible and - huzzah! - visible on the eight real-world courses.

Retina display support for compatible iDevices should appease the high-end golfers, while the three difficulty settings will surely separate the hackers from the scratchers around St Andrews and Pebble Beach.

Rather disappointingly, neither the Ryder Cup (which isn't being held this year), nor the President's Cup (which is, and features in the console edition) is present in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 on iOS.

And despite its obvious value for portable gamers worldwide, online multiplayer remains mystifyingly absent in Tiger 12, albeit in line with EA Sports's widespread reluctance towards its inclusion on iOS.

Local wi-fi and Bluetooth provide a less-than-stellar head-to-head alternative, though the introduction of two brand spanking new game modes to accompany Career and Quick Play could help Mr Woods complete a hazard save.

Rise to the challenge

The first, entitled Tiger Challenges, puts your shot- / money-making ability to the test in a series of 26 mini-events. In one scenario, your objective is to score four or fewer on three randomly selected holes.

Facebook Challenges, meanwhile, throws down a weekly gauntlet to the entire Tiger iCommunity via in-game competitions, such as longest drive and closest to the pin.

Once you are connected to the social networking service, your Titleist-thwacking efforts are uploaded automagically to Zuckerberg's site and compared with those of your friends'.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for iPhone will be driving onto the UK App Store fairway at midnight GMT, and will retail for £3.99 / $6.99 / €5.49.

The iPad version should emerge from EA's bunker soon after, probably priced at £5.99 / $9.99 / €7.99.

Pocket Gamer will have a review up of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 quicker than you can say 'fore', so keep a - cough - eagle eye out for that.

Check out the gameplay video for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 here:

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