I'm all for EA developing 3D games on cell phones, but the publisher is seriously forcing the issue. Unfortunately, hand sets aren't capable of advanced 3D graphics just yet, but there's EA, busy shoving a Ferrari engine into a Honda Element. Thus, Need for Speed Most Wanted and NBA Live 06 are barely playable, but the same cannot be said of Tiger Woods 06. The critically acclaimed golf series is actually pretty decent on a cell, not only because it's addictive, but also because the developers' conservative usage of 3D power helps to make the overall gameplay experience somewhat tasty.

Tiger Woods 06 is a bite size version of its console big daddy, so don't download this game expecting it to be gorgeous and busting at the seams with all kinds of stats. In fact, don't expect it to be busting with much of anything. Due to limited memory space EA is strong arming the user into downloading new players and courses, so while the game includes the likes of Vijay Singh, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and John Daily (as well as courses TPC Sawgrass, TPC Scottsdale, Sherwood Country Club, and the Bay Hill Golf Club), the only options at the start are Tiger Woods and Pebble Beach. I'd certainly love to tell you about the different players and locations, but I wasn't able to access them on the phone that EA provided, so unfortunately, this review is solely based on my experience with Pebble Beach and...umm...Pebble Beach. And honestly, I'm not exactly thrilled about this.

Thankfully, the game doesn't suck, and if all you plan to do is stick with Tiger and this one course, you'll be entertained for a couple of hours. Easy to pick up and play, getting the ball onto the green isn't an exercise in frustration, as all you have to do is press down on the keypad to begin your swing and then follow through by quickly pressing up. And there's several different clubs to choose from including a 21209y, a PW135y, an 81152y, and a 51179y, whatever the hell that means. Just be aware that there's about 12 different clubs here, and if you're a golf aficionado you can rest easy knowing that you can make a quick change by pressing either * or #, so if you're putting, you'll have the appropriate hardware.

I like this game because it's user friendly, but it's also very enjoyable to look at. It's not like EA's created a PSOne game on a phone, but Pebble Beach looks decent enough, with tons of grass, sand traps, trees, and water. But the primary reason why EA really nailed this game's visuals is because of the way it handled 3D. Instead of trying to dazzle us all with sneaky special effects it took a more conservative approach, restricting the engine to an impressive 3D camera that shows the ball in flight. But past that impressive radar blip, this definitely looks like a cell phone game, and at times a very primitive one.

As much as I want to award this game a 4/5, I just can't bring myself to do that because EA didn't provide me with all of that additional content, so I don't know if the aforementioned courses are fun to play or whether all this stuff is easily accessible. And as for Pebble Beach, sure, it looks nice, but how many times am I expected to replay the same exact course again and again? It just gets too repetitive. Honestly, if you want a really kick ass golf title check out Jamdat Mini Golf. As for Tiger Woods 06, it's definitely worth downloading, but only if you're willing to go on this one course review.