After the major signing announcement by EA Sports, Tiger Woods Golf 99 has finally made its way to the PC platform, and much to the disappointment of Links LS and other golf titles, Tiger Woods 99 does not disappoint the avid golf fan or even a person just wanting to play a very entertaining and addictive title. The game is, however, huge with its requirements ranging from 65 MB to a whopping 505 MB. If a fast CD-ROM is present, 8X or higher, I suggest installing the 65 MB version as the waiting time is little to none anyway. Besides Actua Golf 2, I believe this is the second Golf title to use 3D acceleration, but it does a MUCH better job utilizing the features of the 3D card than the aforementioned golf title.

Graphics: (17 / 20)
I never would have actually believed that a Golf title could benefit from 3D acceleration but I was wrong. Electronic Arts has done an outstanding job in recreating what most call photo realistic graphics, sometimes even looking bolder and brighter than previous golf titles that use actual photographs instead of 3d graphics and textures. The greens look very smooth and vary in texture patches, moreover, the bunker textures and most importantly the water textures look very life like. The golfer animations for this title are also far from simple 2D cutouts. With its unique 3D TV presentation, another feature that has not been seen in any other golf game, the cameras automatically switch on the fly to cover the ball at all angles. This makes for outstanding view points and not just a camera following the ball or it being zoomed in on the golfer's shoulder. As the cameras move around the amazing part is so do the golfers. The golfers have about 10-12 different perspective shots, so it looks like the camera is really pointing at them from another angle instead of just being flat. You have to see it to believe it. However, since 3D graphics are being used, the standard tree problem has creeped up yet again. There needs to be a hardware or even software API that is meant for drawing great trees instead of programmers just using very blurry textures which totally look out of place. Other than that the graphics in the game are top notch and the frame rate is great as well.

Sound: (12 / 15)
The sounds in the game are standard for any golf title. There are birds in the background and the ball hitting different surfaces also provides for a much more realistic environment in which to play in. The commentary is supplied by a two man team, which no one else can excel at except Electronic Arts, and intelligent and non-repetitive comments pass throughout the golfer's triad around the course. The game also comes with three CD Audio tracks that only play through the menu and other parts of the game, however, not when playing the game which is great. Although no 3D sound support exists in this title it is not essential, although it might be nice to see what 3D audio can add to a golf title in the future. It worked for 3D graphics, why not 3D audio?

Gameplay: (26 / 30)
This game is chock full of great gameplay and it shows throughout its great game engine which automatically calculates the trajectory of the shot based on the wind direction, field of play, and most importantly the power and accuracy of the shot. The game has plenty of options, one of which is the fact that you can change the type of swing with the mouse. Some like to press once and hold down the mouse button and then let go at the top, while others like to press once on the mouse and let go and then press again at the top. This is a great feature as all other games in the past have either had it one way or another which leaves the user to change his or her style to the game's liking instead of their own. The game also had a number of hidden features such as something called Tiger Shot. When you hit the ball the best possible way you can for a particular hole, electricity starts to build up in his swing and he hits the ball with dead on accuracy, which is pretty cool to see. Another unique feature of this game is Tiger Tips. This is excellent because the engine provides for non repetitive, intelligent, and more importantly dynamic tips on the particular position, hole, swing and club and not just a general guide on how to get the ball inside the cup. Players can also create their own player in the Create Golfer mode and then customize him or her to their liking with their own statistics, skills and of course name. A total of three courses are provided with the first CD, two CDs in total, and a few more exist on the second CD.

Fun Factor: (16 / 20)
For an avid golfer or just a person who would like to give it a shot this game will draw you in. The graphics in this game are a real strong point compared to the traditional style of the game and the gameplay is easier enough to even eliminate the learning curve. After about 10-15 minutes of gameplay I felt like I just wanted to keep playing because the game was fun enough not to be too difficult but difficult enough not to lose its solid gameplay.

Multiplayer: (3 / 5)
The multiplayer component in the game was standard, however not outstanding. I did not like the fact that I have to watch each an every player before and after me take his or her shot, not to mention the fact that some people take to long to hit the ball. I would like to see a multiplayer in which each golfer plays his or her own course, however, spying on the other golfers are also possible. Another disadvantage of the current system is that lag exists because with every shot the modems have to be synched to the next golfer, this wastes time and creates more waiting time for the player.

Overall Impressions: (8 / 10)
A great title to try even if you are not into the golf scene, however, I must warn you that you will quickly get drawn into the great gameplay since it is very addictive.