I can’t say that I have ever played a darts game before, so when PDC World Championship Darts was announced I have to say that I was quite intrigued, especially by the Wii version, given the possibilities for the controls.

It’s the Wii version of this game that really captures the imagination, after all using the Wii remote as a dart should certainly make things feel more realistic, shouldn’t it?

When starting the game you are treated to a few options as far as the controls go, first you can either use the Wii Remote on it’s own  or you can use the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, with the latter’s thumbstick being assigned to adjust power and accuracy.

However despite having the choice, the Wii Remote on it’s own is the only way to go, this is because it is so simple and intuitive to use, you simply aim where you want to hit on the dart board with the aid of a small target and then press the A button, begin your throw and then release A to let go, hopefully resulting in you hitting the spot you wanted to.

There are a few issues with the control system, for one, most of the time the dart never seems to go where you want it to, which is a bit of a pity, in fact if you do get it where you aimed it feels like luck more than anything else, also the targeting system can be quite erratic sometimes, meaning it will take you a while to pick your spot. Having said all of this though, once you get used to the controls you will certainly get a lot better, just not perfect.

There are quite a few different modes and mini games to keep everyone who owns this game occupied, first up is the Exhibition Mode which allows you to play a quick one off match, which is handy for getting used to the game, also included are the Tournament and Career modes which offer a longer lasting experience for those who stick with PDC Darts. In fact the Career mode offers a fairly deep experience, first you start off creating the character you would like to use (or by picking one of the ready made ones), then you work your way through the event calendar, choosing the tournaments you would like to take part in, this way you can earn trophies for your character and get that sense of satisfaction that you have been working for.

The mini games included are also fairly good fun, and there are quite a few to choose from. Allowing up to four people to play you can take part in games such as Standard Rules, Around the Clock (Doubles and Trebles), Black and White and Twenty Ones, although there are a few more on top of these.

PDC also offers some realism in the fact that 16 professional darts players are included in the game, unfortunately though the presentation lets it down somewhat in the realism stakes, graphically the game is very poor, in some places laughable, I don’t know what the real players look like but I hope it isn’t like this, otherwise PDC would have to come with an 18 rating before being shown on TV. The sound isn’t all that bad though, some of the comments you hear are quite amusing and bring some of the atmosphere you would expect in darts to the console.

PDC World Championship Darts is certainly not a game that will appeal to everyone, in fact I would say that it would only appeal to a very niche market, if you like darts then you will more than likely go for this game and not be disappointed, however if you aren’t really bothered either way then perhaps you should pass this one by.