Ahh, back to the Nokia pre-E3 press conference. I have a few good memories about the event, along with running into some games that left me a bit underwhelmed. Fortunately, there was one decent time killer on hand, and that was EA Sports' Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 2004. Already a supreme hit on multiple consoles (and for good reason; it's the best damn golf game around), EA was hoping it would be equally successful for the N-Gage and its Arena service.

Well, the game didn't exactly make a perfect jump over to the little machine, but the essence of Tiger Woods remains intact, and that's what's important. The gameplay, for the most part, remains the same. Tiger can aim his shots with a heads-up trajectory, and then proceed to swing with the help of the digital pad. Lean back, press forward, and watch the ball fly. You can also adjust for power shots, slices, and backspin, so you can put a little more precision into it.

The main fault with this is that the analog pad offered more real-time control over your swing, where a digital pad becomes a bit of a struggle. You can still put Tiger into a backswing to the right amount of power, but you have to hold down on the pad in order for him to initiate his swing, and sometimes even a slight direction change can send your ball flying the wrong way. It takes a little time to get used to, but after a few shots, you'll be getting birdies in no time. I still prefer the analog method, though.

The graphics in Tiger Woods are presented pretty nicely. Gone are the fantastic 3D fly-bys from the console versions, but in its place is a good interface where you can aim your shots from above and then execute from behind your golfer. Then you hit the green and the view changes to overhead, where you can get advice from your caddy and time your putt to save yourself some strokes. The stat boards look great and the game doesn't suffer from graphical glitches or slowdown.

Then you have the sound... and... hmmm. What's the best way to put this? I'm glad there's a volume control? Seriously, the sound effects sound like they were a bit underprocessed, as they come across like tinny, unlikable squeaks trying to interfere with your golf game. The music isn't really that much better; as you can tell, the licensed tracks have been eliminated and replaced with some generic background fluff. The announcers seem to be missing as well, and they added a lot to the game.

That's not all that's missing. Also conspicuously gone is GameFace, the feature that allowed you to customize your golfer from the ground up. You can still work your way through a career, but it's with a pre-built pro or fantasy golfer from a collection that EA offers. I mean, I know that with the N-Gage, you couldn't have detailed EVERYTHING on a golfer, but the lack of customization at all to create your own golfer just plain hurts.

Fortunately, that little option is made up for with plenty of others, including a stellar single player mode to delve into, where you can earn cash, endorsements, and unlockables by taking on a number of challenges. There are also other modes to dig into (including traditional games) and you can challenge up to three friends in the Arena. It's not pure interaction, but it is pure competition, and that's what counts. There are also new downloadable goodies from time to time, which add to the longevity of the game.

Calling on friends might be a good option, because the computer sometimes ridiculously cheats. You may be coasting in the middle of a round, and soon enough, a few computer players have managed to catch up with you. It's like they all became Tiger Woods clones and demanded that you not win that particular match. Also, sometimes the stat tracking isn't really that spectacular, and filled with errors.

But small problems are problems that sit on the side of a great product, not getting into the middle of it (that would make them big problems, you see). Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 2004 may not be the most solid version on the market, but for a handheld golf game, it's jam packed with enough quality and goodies to keep you swinging for the green.