Let's Golf! 2

Let's Golf! 2 is Gameloft's homage to Everybody's Golf, the ever-popular PlayStation cartoon sports phenomenon.

And, like many of Gameloft's homages, it's a corker, scoring Pocket Gamer Gold Awards on both Android and iPhone.

Now that it no longer has to rely on touchscreen controls, can it lower its handicap even further?

Basics out of the way first: as golf games go, it has pretty much everything you could ask for. It's packed with hazards, varied courses, and collectables. Getting under par is always satisfying, and the multiplayer (both local and online) gives the game even more longevity.

It's also gorgeous, enhanced by the different course themes. The standard greens and trees you might find on a summer's day at St Andrews are joined by winter wonderlands, sandy deserts, and more.

The controls in Let's Golf! 2 were never really an issue. At its heart, the game requires you to tap the screen at the optimum point in the swing, just like every other golf game in the sport's virtual history. There's no sense of urgency, and the game never pushes you into fumbling.

On Xperia Play, swings are assigned to the X button, and you can add spin, look at the map, and switch clubs with the various other buttons.

As such, whether the Xperia Play version is better than the touchscreen version is down to personal preference. It's certainly nice to not obscure the screen with thumbs and fingers, but you're unlikely to cut many strokes off your handicap by renouncing touchscreen controls.

Physical controls or not, virtual golf doesn't get much better than this.