When you consider just how simple the basic premise of golf is - knocking a ball into a hole with a stick - the degree of hidden complexity is pretty amazing. This perennial offering takes heat for not changing a hell of a lot from year to year, and it's got more than its fair share of irritants, but familiarity doesn't necessarily equal stagnation.

Certainly it's disappointing to see EA continue to spend time on needlessly detailed player creation and libraries of hats, shirts, sunglasses, shoes, and so forth, while the graphics fail to make any noticeable improvement whatsoever. Indeed, one could easily argue that the PSP version's vibrant colors are preferable to the dull landscapes and rough edges of the home version. The pointless lingering shots of Tiger and company doing nothing in particular don't help any.

Listening to the home consoles' dreadful crowd noise drill shrill "woohoo"s into your skull isn't exactly pleasant either, though it beats listening to the commentators wax lame about how you should really try to get closer to the hole next time. Gee, thanks for the tip, brainiac. Maybe diehard fans of Feherty and McCord can tolerate what passes for banter, but count the rest of us out.