A hole in one

I suppose it's inevitable that any software house which produces a golf simulation is expecting its product to be compared to similar ones, and I make no apology for comparing Superior Golf with that very fine golfing game, Holed Out.

The colourful loading screen offers three options, Play golf, Copy the courses supplied on to another disc or Create a courses file.

The latter two enable an enthusiast to build up a selection of homemade courses, or even create simulations of any golf course in the world provided you know the layout.

Because of copy protection, Superior have provided the course copying utility to enable only the courses to be copied and altered with the Hole editor or Course editor. Saving to the program disc is not permitted - and foolhardy!

If Play Golf is selected, the program lists a menu of six options, Play, Driving Range, Practice Green, Hole Editor, Course Editor and Quit. To select the desired option, click on it and the next stage appears.

The driving range is a must for all players before tackling the actual courses, as controlling the club, both swing and hook or slice, is quite difficult, using the left - Select - mousebutton only.

A small meter shows the power of the swing as you hold the mouse button down. When the button is released the ball is hit, but the mouse button must be clicked again to control the ball's direction. Click too soon and it is hooked to the left; too late it's a slice to the right.

Despite being able to set the general direction for the shot - using the crosshair type of sight before swinging the club - the actual control is extremely difficult to master and requires lots of practice - it's like the real thing in this respect. There's a club selection menu and a useful range of stroke indicators for any particular club and power of swing, which all assist in getting to grips with the rudiments of golfing. On to the courses: There's a choice of four at Sea Palms USA, St. Andrews, The Belfry and Victoria, Australia.

The things that struck me when I first entered the field of play were the deciduous trees, which incidentally can be altered at the first menu screen to show autumn, winter or summer foliage. They don't seem as realistic as the pines of Holed Out though. The rest of the graphics are pretty good and on completing a round at St. Andrews, hopelessly over par, I was impressed with the small detail like the offshore oil rig.

I'm not about to produce the print out of my score card but you can - which is a nice touch - and I was quite proud when, at a par three, I actually managed to hole at par. I doubt whether I would ever become a member at the Royal and Ancient though.

By the time I'd completed the 18th hole I felt like the golfer on screen who looks as though he has been out on the greens all night.

There are good sound effects when the club is swung, the ball plops in the water, hits a tree or the green pin, and after lots of practice the game grows on you.

Golf is a game of skill and Superior Golf requires a fair bit of expertise to become reasonably proficient. Holed Out is easier to play initially, but Superior Golf could well be the better game in the long term.

It's pretty good value for money and you can design your own courses for ever more. I would say if you've bought Holed Out stay with it, if not, go for Superior Golf, but keep your patience while you learn to hit the ball.