Previous Next

It's time once again to put on the old plus-fours and dust off the golfing trolley. Yes, it's Leaderboard - the Executive Edition. The designers of the world famous golfing simulation now bring you a souped-up version, with the added realism of playing on a course with bunkers, trees and rough.

The player is presented with an initial choice of completing the course alone or in a group of up to four people, with three levels of difficulty which may be set differently for each individual. Unlike the earlier edition, there are only two courses with this version, the first of which is included with the game while the second has to be loaded separately.

On selecting the required options, the screen presents a full-perspective, first-person view of the fairway. This overlooks the golfer, who appears at the bottom of the screen ready to tee-off.

Control of the golfer is by joystick and is identical to Leaderboard. A cursor is positioned on-screen to indicate the ball's direction of flight, and an information panel on the left gives the course details, including the wind strength and distance to the hole. This allows you to make your choice of club from the set provided, with ranges from a One Wood right through to a Nine Iron and Pitching Wedge.

On pressing the fire button, a power-bar scrolls down, which is stopped by another click of the button. The amount of bar strength of the shot. A second bar then appears which is controlled in the same way, enabling you to determine the amount of hook or slice on the ball. This coincides with the movement of the golfer as he swings and hits the ball down the fairway.

When the ball eventually stops, the screen is re-drawn to show the golfer's view of the course as seen from his new position. The action always faces the hole, and the process is repeated until the ball lands on the green.

When play is finally within putting range of the hole, the golfer is automatically given his putting iron. A small pointer appears to the left of the hole, which shows the direction and amount of slope, enabling you to compensate with the strength and direction of your shot. The information panel also changes to display a larger power-meter where the bar is simply stopped at the required strength for the putt.

Successfully holing the ball brings up the current scoreboard, which shows the individual hole scores and the running total for each player. See you at the nineteenth hole!

This is an extremely polished golf program, and it deserves plenty of credit. It's very playable and boasts some wonderful attention to detail, but the problem lies in the face that it's just too similar to its forerunner. The only real differences are the bunkers, the trees and some new scenery - there's nothing new in the gameplay.

It plays exactly the same as the first version and the new features fail to offer anything new or exciting. Having said that, it's still enjoyable to play, but I wouldn't part with a tenner for it, especially if the original Leaderboard already graced my software collection.

So... you bought Leaderboard and enjoyed it so much that you bought the Tournament courses. But is it worth buying the Executive Edition? Well... the trees and bunkers do add a little something, but don't make enough of a difference to justify a purchase. No - even if you haven't played Leaderboard, I wouldn't recommend this at the price. Get the original Leaderboard instead - it's just as playable and has twice as many courses.

If you liked Leaderboard, you'll love this - Executive Edition is a very well executed successor. The trees and bunkers are neat, and there is mre scenic variation between the different holes than before. Overall, the game is superb - but, if you have the first version, I would seriously think before buying the Executive Edition.

Ten quid is a lot to pay or a few additional bunkers and trees.

Presentation 94%
A large range of options, features and effective touches. Great on-screen presentation and useful instructions.

Graphics 89%
Superbly drawn courses in true perspective. Brilliant animation on the golfer.

Sound 78%
No music necessary or provided, but the sparse sound effects are spot-on.

Hookability 82%
It is possible to get straight into the game on the easier level and then work your way up as proficiency increases.

Lastability 63%
There are only two courses included with this version which may soon prove tiresome.

Value For Money 52%
Rather expensive considering that it is so similar to Leaderboard.

Overall 72%
Not a vast improvement on the first edition, and should definitely be seen before purchasing.