A Hole in one?

No! This has nothing to do with cars or discs - it is, in fact, a new golf program.

You can choose to play either the Lauren Hills or San Rivero course and a quick overview of each can be obtained before the selection.

Then the names of up to four players are entered, allocating them a skill factor and selecting whether they be left or right handed. Next choose which hole to start from, and let action begin. The display shows a 3D view down the fairway. Hazards, in the form of bunkers, water and out-of-bounds areas, are clearly indicated. By watching the way the screen is drawn - it takes only a few seconds - some insight into the position of hills and valleys can be gained.

Also on screen is a wind strength and direction meter, plus information about the length of the hole and how far from the flag your ball lies. A helpful - but invisible - caddy will already have selected a possible club for you. You can, of course, make your own decision.

There is on-screen advice on the hitting distance for each club.

At any time a plan of the hole can be called up, along with advice on methods for tackling problems.

Switching between this screen and the 3D view is instant. After mulling over the options and selecting a club you start your backswing and - with a satisfying "thwack" - wallop the ball. There is control over the amount of back swing and whether to hook or slice. At high skill levels these touches are very hard to manage.

On the easy level, the computer seems to offer a lot of help. With luck, your ball will sail down the middle of the fairway and so select a next club for the second shot. If things go awry, the ball may hit trees, get stuck in a bunker or perhaps land in the water. Most hazards are accompanied by very realistic digitised sound effects.

Eventually the ball will land on the putting green. These far-from level surfaces are hard to portray on a 2D screen. Unlike Holed Out, you retain the 3D viewpoint and it's essential to watch how they are drawn if you are to sink the long putts. The satisfying noise of ball in hole makes the effort really worthwhile. When all players have holed out, a score sheet is shown indicating above or below par scores.

There is no match play option, which I feel is a pity. Playing a solo round and scoring close to par will take about half an hour. Obviously, it will take longer with more or poor players. A facility to save scorecards would have been useful so that long games could be completed.

These are minor quibbles though. The game is an excellent implementation, with good graphics, and has proved great fun for my non-golf playing family. If you have no golf game MicroDrive could well fit the bill.

Rog Frost