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We've had a Professional Golf Simulator in the form of Leaderboard in its many and varied versions, now Accolade hope to plug in a golfing gap by releasing Mini-Putt - the wackiest miniature golf game in the world.

Miniature golf is probably better known in the U.K. as crazy gold, where rookie golfers can play through small courses distinguished by their unique obstacles and hazards.

Mini-Putt offers a three window overview of each hole. The largest window shows the current play area and a moveable cursor controlled by joystick which you use to aim your putts. Beneath the main window are the two other windows, including a close up of "Mini-Putt Pete" who is shown swinging his golf club when you make a short, as well as jumping up the air when you score a hole in one or make a putt under par. The other window is an overview map of the current hole and a simple scoreboard.

There are four nine hole courses on offer: Deluxe, Classic, Traditional or Challenge. The best for graphics and gameplay is the Classic course, where you have to putt your way past swinging elephant trunks, windmill sails, airplane propellers, a castle, the space shuttle and a cannon which will fire your ball into the hole for you! The other courses use various walls and different terrain on the putting green to divert the ball. Graduation arrows help to indicate the slope of the terrain on each hole. Whilst it adds some accuracy to the game, it does make the graphics look very basic.

The continuing success of golf games is a mystery to me. I mean how many people do you know who regularly head for the golf course on a Saturday morning. It's not exactly the kind of activity you associate with your average computer games player.

I can't help feeling that with Mini Putt the golf bookm has gone as far as it is going to. Sure, I know people probably said the same thing when the 'nth Ninja game hit the shops.

The proliferation of golf games does illustrate one of the most aggravating aspects of the games business. The copying, plagiarising and lack of originality. The rules seems to be that, if you spot a successful idea, copy it. True, Mini Putt does have a fair amount of originality - in that it's not just the normal eighteen holes, bunkers, lakes, trees and what have you but adds some of the wackiness of crazy golf.

But generally there is an appalling lack of originality in the games business right now. Witness the developments in the budget business. Codemasters notch up a fair degree of success with the 'simulator' range. Then what happens? Do the other budgeteers attempt to find out what it was about the Codies' approach that worked. Do they attempt to emulate their excellent high profile in the national media? No way - they just cynically starting to add the word 'simulator' to their own titles...!

If all of the courses were as good as the Classic course, then there would be little to fault. However, the graphics on the others are disappointing and after just a few plays the holes become ridiculously easy.

Mini Putt is fun to begin with, but the overall challenge soon fades and the multi-load (on the tape version) soon becomes a bit of a pain. You'll soon be yearning for the 30 displays and more professional golf games.

Don't by put off by Accolade Games by the disappointent of Mini Putt.