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At last, a calm, relaxing strategy game on a console better known for arcade action. The display is fairly complex, but once you've worked out how to swing any club and drive the ball up the course you'll find play easy.

The top left corner of the screen gives you information about your score, how well you're doing against the pair of a particular hole, the wind strength and the length of shot you'll need to hole the ball.

The window beneath the score information shows your player as he squares up to putt or drive a ball. You can run through the limited range of woods, irons and putters you have available by using the control pad, then press the A control three times to make a shot - once to set the amount of club back swing, the second to start the down swing and the third to set the impact position.

The window on the right of the screen gives a bird's eye view of the hole. An arrow points away from the hole and you can change its position in line with the direction in which you want the ball to go.

The rules are fairly strict. If you go out of bounds you're penalised two strokes - so don't hit it into the woods - and if you land in the ocean, ponds, rivers or any other water hazards you're penalised one point. There's also a formula to help you get out of bunkers and lists of information about holes, showing the distances from the fairway and bunker you'd have to make for each shot using a particular club. The shot instruction book - too short in my view for the complexity of this type of game - also give a full bird's eye view of the course and its 18 holes.

The game does not confirm to all the rules of the real game - for instance your choice of clubs is limited to five woods, eight irons and a putter. If you were in a real game you'd probably need to be Gart Player to win with that little selection but, after all, this is an arcade game and we shouldn't expect miracles of the real fairways and greens of a course such as St Andrews.

If you're just after a good time, Golf will probably be enough, but if you want a no holes barred simulation you'll have to look to the Commodore or Spectrum computers. Wind variance and weather problems just aren't in this Nintendo game.