Upon loading up NTG you will instantly notice that this game actually wants you to play it. Before heading into the menu systems it personalises itself for you. It asks with which hand will you be touchscreening and asks if it should grab your details from the DS's start-up system. While it would be easy to make this an annoying and unnecessary start to a game, it only happens once and it comes off more as an invitation to play.

There is really only a couple of ways to play this game: match play and stroke play. One counts how many holes you win, while the other counts how many shots it takes you to finish the course. You can go head to head against a random computer controlled player - while it doesn't earn you anything, it is a fun mode to play - but the most rewarding aspect of the single-player mode comes in the form of the Career Mode. The game starts you off in the Rookie tournaments and it's up to you to place in the top three after five matches to secure your place in the next tournament, eventually working your way up to Pro Golfer.

As you head into your first round of golf you will be introduced to the help screen. Again, instead of intruding into your gaming experience it feels more like a hepling hand guiding you through the control style that T&E Soft have chosen to incorporate: a quick rundown on how to navigate the map on the bottom screen, how to place your shot and how to take your shot. And it's at this stage when you realise how fun and intuitive the controls are about to become.

Once you've lined up your shot - by either using the D-pad or dragging the reticule with the stylus - the bottom screen changes to swing mode. A quick adjustment on the spin on the ball - as simple as tapping the spot on the ball you want the club to hit - and you're ready to swing the club back and through the ball.

It really is that simple: with a simple tap onto the club head you have full control over back and forth swing. Drag back to get the strength of the swing and draw a line through the ball at the top to send it flying. If the line is to either side of the ball it'll curve; if it's dead-on it'll soar and if you miss the ball.... you miss the ball and lose a shot. What gives this style a bit of a challenge is that the speed with which you draw this line determines the speed at which the club head connects with the ball. It works, and it works well.

While the graphics leave Tiger Woods DS well and truly behind it still feels behind what it could be. Textures are extremely blocky, and the character models extremely basic, but it all works well. Every camera is taken from an angle to keep a 'watching TV' look. Sadly some of these angles aren't as close to the action as they should be and you can lose sight of the ball or the hole you were aiming for. It normally only occurs on replays, but when the camera changes on that chip shot you HOPE goes in, you want to be able to see where it's heading. Animation on the characters is extremely tidy, but variety is lacking.

When creating your character you can choose either a calm or fiery personality, and the animations associated with each one show through, but you will see the same animation each time your character gets a birdie.

Sound is very basic, and while the music is low-key, you will be rushing to the options to turn it off after a single 18-hole round, if not before. You also get the standard golf clap and oohs and aaahs from the invisible crowd to help make you feel more a part of the game. There's no reason to keep the volume on, but there's on reason to turn it off.

A lot of effort has been put into making the multiplayer mode the mode to play, it's just a shame that it didn't include online play. Two to four players can play off a single cartridge, or from multiple carts if available. People can Pictochat each other to either put off the person who's teeing off, or simply to pass the time while they're waiting for their turn. Or if you don't have the time to sit down with mates for a game, you can always give them a copy of the demo, through DS Download Play, that they can take away with them (until their DS is powered off).