Sony's Hot Shots Golf series has always provided an interesting and fun twist on the golf genre. While it still retains many of the core aspects and mechanics of golf, it also throws in colorful characters and a fun atmosphere. Hot Shots Golf Fore!, the fourth game in the series, continues the trends set in the original games, but does it a little too well.

Visually, Hot Shots Golf Fore! looks good, but isn't much of a step above the last game in the series. Normally this wouldn't be a problem with most sports games, but when you consider the last game came out nearly two years ago, you would hope for more improvements. Unfortunately this is a theme that runs through most of the game -- its not much different than the last iteration.

Despite the lack of major improvements, there's still a lot to like in Fore!. Each of the game's characters is colorful and has a fun appeal. Several characters from previous games are back, as are some new characters, including the stars of other Sony games, such as Ratchet, Clank and Jak. Most of the noticeable changes deal with things like slightly improved course details, such as trees swaying in the breeze and a cleaner draw distance. Courses also have a more realistic feel to them (at least when compared to the characters playing on them).

Sound isn't much to get excited over and adds little to the game. Music is low key and forgettable while the voice work is outright annoying. Phrases are repeated over and over again and really get on your nerves after the third hole. Some of the dialog is funny, if a bit campy, but there's just not enough of it to go around.

As the name suggests, Hot Shots Golf is essentially a golf game with a cartoon spin. Many of the underlying mechanics of golf are present, but without having to know some of the more subtle aspects of the game. While hardcore golf fans may enjoy going a few rounds with the game, it is meant mostly to appeal to more casual fans, so you might find a game that feels dated and stripped down.

The offered play modes are varied. Single-player modes include a Versus mode where you challenge another character to a round. If you can defeat the character, they are added to the character select screen. Tournament mode puts you in a game with 29 other players. The goal here is to have the lowest stroke count after 18 holes. Mini-mode is arguably one of the more enjoyable modes in the game. In this mode you can play a 9-hole round of golf or 3 rounds of miniature golf. I really got into the mini-golf mode since you are given points based on how far the ball travels as well as how many strokes it takes to get the ball to the hole. This encourages players to get creative with their shots and, at least to me, felt similar to that last shot Adam Sandler had to make in Happy Gilmore. True, you don't have to put around a car parked on the green, but you have to think in a similar manner in order to get as many points as you can.

Points are an important aspect of Fore!. As you complete courses or pull off other feats in game (such as having the longest drive for a hole), you'll gain points. These can later be spent in the Pro Shop to unlock new clubs, outfits and even new caddies, like Clank and Daxter.

The biggest addition to the Hot Shots series is online play. Playing Fore! online is rather enjoyable and turns out to be one of the deeper, more robust modes in the game. Games can be thoroughly customized and you can complete in large tournaments of up to 50 players. The only major gripe I had with the online play is the lack of voice chat, which is unforgivable -- especially when you consider that golf is one of the more social sports around.

One of the aspects that has always made the Hot Shots series great is the pick up and play aspect. Hot Shots Golf Fore! provides an easy to pick up game, but is still a little frustrating at times, especially during Tournaments. Moving through the ranks in a Tournament is very hard to do as one bogie or double bogie can absolutely ruin your chances of even breaking out of the top 25. The other players are just too good and never seem to get more than 3 or 4 strokes behind and never seem to have bad holes. As expected, the better you get at the game, the better the chances you have to break into the top five or even win the tournament, but getting to that point is a long one. An Easy Play mode is available, but feels a little cheap since it's nothing more than a means to keep repeating a hole until you get the right stoke count. This option would have been better suited as a training mode that actually explained what everything meant on the screen rather than having players figure everything out on their own. It would have saved a lot of frustration and made the game much more enjoyable from the start.

While other golf games are moving towards analog control for swinging mechanics, Hot Shots Golf Fore! sticks to the game's traditional three-click power meter. This will definitely turn off some of the more hardcore golf fans, but nothing about the game is really meant to appeal to them in the first place. Hot Shots Golf has always targeted the more casual golf fan (like myself) that enjoys playing but can't work out all the minor nuances of the game. Essentially the meter works in the same general manner as the kicking meter in most football games. You press the X button to start the meter. Pressing X once will determine the distance, which is displayed by a distance meter under the bar. After setting the distance, hitting X a second time will determine the power. Power is represented as a small pink bar flanked by two red ones. The goal is to stop the meter somewhere in the middle pink area, which is considered the ball's sweet spot. Setting the power can get a little tricky since you are given the option of hitting either one of two other buttons instead of X. This will either decrease or increase the power, giving you just a little more control over the power. The system is easy to use and fairly straightforward, but can be troublesome at times.

The biggest problem I had with the system was a lack of proper instruction on how to use the meter and all of the other bells and whistles on the bar, such as a cross-section of the terrain between you and the farthest distance you can hit the ball. After a few rounds you'll eventually understand it, but having to figure it out led to some early frustrations with the game that I could have done without. Ball control is also a problem, especially when putting. While I enjoy the three-click meter, its major drawback is that you don't get much of a feel for the ball which leads to several miss shot puts. I can't tell you how many times I'd think I nailed a put only to have it take a massive swerve right as it got to the hole.

Fore! is essentially the same game that Hot Shots 3 was, giving it an almost expansion feel. Fans of the series should still enjoy the game, but don't expect any major overhauls or new gameplay modes. Newcomers to the series who aren't the most hardcore of golf fans will certainly find the game's interesting take on golf appealing.