Sports people in the 'media eye' seem to be coming a bit of a cropper lately. First there was the fiasco surrounding Duncan Ferguson (the Everton player who get sent to jail), then there was a spot of bother over Will Carling and his 'fling' with Princess Di, not to mention Cantona and his Kung Fu kick. David Hillier got caught nicking baggage at an airport and Terry Venables came a cropper employing some "embarrassing" business practices. But until Nick Faldo decided to play his ball out of bounds, the tranquil world of golf had stayed relatively sleaze-free.

And it's a sleaze-free game that Core want you to experience as they introduce us to Virtual Golf. They aim to dispense with all the stats and get down to some serious, no-nonsense gameplay in order to please the nation's hungry horde of golfing fanatics. Instead of being your usual batch of sports people who would brave all sorts of weather just to keep up their favourite pastimes, these people choose as a substitute to the real thing a game where the only club they may grasp is a joypad and the only balls they might play with are (I think that's quite enough of that - Marcus).

Yes, well, this game was originally due out for the 32X under the title of Scottish Open Golf but due to a couple of technical glitches (something to do with the licence) the name had to be changed and now it will arrive via the Saturn instead of the beloved mushroom, with the highly imagintive title of... Virtual Golf. Hurrah!

Originally called Tee Off, then developed for 32X as Scottish Open Golf. Now it's finally emerged for Saturn as Virtual Golf.

If you don't know how to play golf by now you need a pitching wedge rammed where the sun doesn't shine.

Virtual Golf has adopted a couple of neat twists in order to prolong the playtime you may choose to give it. Of the four courses, only two of them can be accessed when you start as they feature the amateur holes. In order to play on the other two you haev to first obtain professional status. This is done by finishing an amateur tournament under par after the duration of the four rounds. You'll then be given a password that lets you enter the pro courses. Should you finish all these, there is an option to flip the courses in a mirror mode kinda way.

1. The Bowery
   Set in the beautiful New Forest countryside, we are promised 'unparalleled opportunities for a great game of golf'. It was originally called the 'Shire', and was laid out by Ernest Randall, one of the greatest golfers of his generation.
2. Kilmarney
   Back in the 1920s, wealthy land owner William Perceval contacted the famous Irish golfer Connell O'Hare to design the best course in Ireland. He turned it down and built Legoland instead, but it's still a nice course.
3. Penperro
   The first professional course of the two is set in Cornish territory, and beats many similarities to golfing in Scotland - they use haggis for balls and the flags are all Tartan. The strong sea gusts provide a challenge in the wind department.
4. Glenlochrie
   Easily the longest course of the four. The first Open Championship was won here by Tommy Smith. Golfing traditions in this part of the world date back to the 1570s, when human bones were used as clubs and donkeys doubted as caddies.

As with most of the other golf games, the style of game you can play is varied. The usual options are presented here: Shoot Out, Tournament and Skins Challenge are all pretty familiar. However, Core have added yet another new style of play to liven up the proceedings with a Derby Scramble.

Also known as a Texas Scramble to the keener golfers out there, this basically consists of two players in a team, battling it out against two other players, human or computer. All of the players take Tee shots and then whoever from the pair has driven the furthest, takes his/her shot. Then the partner takes the third shot, and the two of you keep alternating between hits until the ball is in the hole.

If you don't fancy playing with all the flash camera angles then you can pan around most of the hole by yourself. By using A and Z buttons you can move upwards to look at the hole from various angles. If you want to slide left and right, use the top two buttons. The primary use for this is looking round the obstacles that are in your way, but if you just fancy being a bit flash then it serves that purpose as well.

The idea of an instant golf game (no practice, no need to look at the manual - just straight into it) is enormously appealing. Gameplay-wise, Virtual Golf fits the bill admirably and is fun while it lasts. The trimmings that give this a sophisticated veneer never really detract from the fact you are playing a game based on golf, not a golf simulation. However, while there's no faulting the gameplay here, some simulation-quality graphics wouldn't have gone amiss.

It's annoying trying to take a shot at a ball when a casually dressed family posing for the next Freemans catalogue obscure your view of your player - even though they'ev got their backs to the game and a beaming straight at you. Close-up, overhanging trees take on the appearance of huge orange jelly fish which prove similarly frustating to the perfectionist aiming for the perfect shot.

Coupled with the impression of a relatively workmanlike graphics, this adds up to something of a compromise.

If I had a middle-of-the-road face, it would fit this perfectly, so don't be put off by the sad face. First things first: Core wanted to make a golf game that was easy to get to grips with and could be picked up and played straight away.

They wanted to concentrate more on fun than simulation. And, in my view, they have succeeded. It is exactly as they wanted, but unfortunately that doesn't mean it's always a good game. Its problem is that the graphics don't remain consistently good. In places, they are fine, but in some other parts they are less than perfect. If you happen to toll up near a group of people or a tree, they stay exactly where they are and you have to take your shot through them and you can't see what you're doing.

The trees and all pixelly if you get too close as well. Having said that, there are some good and original ideas here that vary the gameplay enormously. The Derby Scramble is a great laugh with all human players, and the fact that you have to become a professional to play some of the other courses can mean a bit of time before all the game is done.

The best idea is the option to flip all the courses once you are bored. Summing up, if the graphics had been all of the same standard and there was more into to help you select your shots then this would have been a very good game.

Graphics 72%
P. Still screens are pretty good.
N. But overall graphics are poor, and blocky in most places.

Animation 70%
N. Golfers are OK but remain ultimately unconvincing.

Music 74%
P. You can't really have much in a golf game, but what there is here passes the time.

Effects 75%
P. The commentators are chirpy and cheerful, and Brigadier Toffo who introduces each hole is funny.

Playability 82%
P. Really easy to get into and, with all the different styles, this will take a bit of play to crack.

Lastability 80%
P. Four courses and the mirror mode work in the game's favour.

Overall 80%
Better than World Cup Golf, but not a great game. Quite fun to play, but some graphical compromises mar the overall feel.