Golf on the Arc is a leisurely stroll compared with the intensity of an arcade game. You can take a break at any time and return without penalty to continue the round which, non-stop, usually takes an hour or more. It depends on how much calculating of yardage you like to do and how many balls end up in the outrageous water traps. Don't try this game on a mono monitor because water looks like a safe smooth fairway!

Holed Out is one of the most attractive games ever produced for the Acorn range, both in terms of its screen display and packaging/documentation. The course features are nicely drawn on the Arc version but are similar to the BBC version and aren't of the "artistic" quality which one supposes is now possible. The golfer "sprite" is nicely animated. The sound effects could also have been improved upon by sampling but they haven't been.

The manual and club reference card are used in conjunction to guide the player around either the Pine Isles or Cone Links courses. Extra courses are about to be made available. If you are a beginner then the extra hazard of wind is not encountered but the numerous bunkers, lakes and forests remain. The greens have different slopes but no complicated "breaks" as in real life. Selection of club, direction and control of "power" behind the shot is all by mouse.

Overall, an enjoyable game and value for money package although my feeling is that a more complex golf game is possible, with sampled sounds and higher resolution graphics. The BBC version was Game Of The Month in the June Arcade.