EA Sports surprisingly skipped the opportunity to port the successful iPhone version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour to iPad last year. But with a fresh version out for consoles, the publisher saw it fit to finally bring the successful golf simulation franchise to Apple's tablet with a pretty sizable selection of content.

Like the earlier iOS release, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for iPad does a solid job of translating the swing-based sport to the touchscreen, letting you line up your shot by zooming into the fairway or green before swooping down and up on a meter to take your swing. Though the little details can look pretty rough up close (especially the gallery members and occasional environmental textures), the overall look is rather nice on the iPad, utilizing a 3D engine that performs well on the course and occasionally impresses with views of far-off terrain and moving clouds or birds.

With the fundamentals pretty much down pat, Tiger's biggest asset is content, as the game offers eight full licensed courses -- including TPC Sawgrass and Pebble Beach -- as well as PGA and LPGA favorites like Anthony Kim, Natalie Gulbis, and Woods himself. You can also create your own player and upgrade his or her equipment through cash earned in the straightforward PGA Tour career offering and brief objectives of the Tiger Challenge mode. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 unfortunately lacks online play, though it does feature local wireless options and a Facebook-based "Closest to the Pin" challenge, which lets you rank your approach against your pals.

Much as EA deserves credit for packing several real-life courses and players into this iPad release, the presentation and play modes lack pop, and the game loses points in the little details. The swing interface feels inconsistent at times, and notching stellar drives can be tough. Plus, little issues reveal themselves over the course of your career -- like seeing a ball slowly roll over a hole without dropping, despite not lipping the cup. As thick an iPad golf package as this is, it's hard not to want the attention to detail found in the much glossier home console releases. And for $7 (at press time), we expect just a bit more punch from a premium release.

The bottom line. With considerable content and solid visuals, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for iPad has a lot to offer golf fans on the go, but the sterile approach and little hitches keep it from total glory.

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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 for iPad Screenshots

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  "Hi, I'm Eldrick. But you can call me Tiger."

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  Lining up putts correctly is the key to a good short game.

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  See Tiger putt.

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  The swing meter works well -- most of the time.

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  A pretty course for a pretty golfer.

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  The graphics are all right, but obviously can't compete with the more polished console versions.

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