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There are two types of people, those who consider the game of golf to be enjoyable, and those who consider the game of golf to be the thinking man's valium. The former should read on. The latter should turn over.

Leaderboard is, as near as I can make out, a close simulation of the sporting bits of the game. No 19th hole, no cheating, no carefully-disguised power games. Just woods, irons and lots of balls.

Its proudest claim is that of true perspective. This allows the golfer to judge the course ahead, and get his shots down to a tee. be he novice, amateur or professional. These are the three classes of golfer - the easier the class, the less things like wind and lack of skill affect the shots.

You can also choose from a variety of courses and how many holes you want to play. Eighteen is the minimum; the maximum is a staggering 72. For that long weekend.

Once you've decided all the exciting details which go to make the game such a gas, like which club best suits the lie of the land, you can get down to some serious swinging. Using the joystick, and your skill and judgement, you can set parameters like power and wrist snap.

You might think that having your wrists snapped might be more enjoyable than having to play golf it did warn you at the beginning to get out), but this is a technical term describing the exact way in which the power of the swing is imparted to the sphere at your feet. Depending on how you snap your wrists, the ball can be sliced or hooked, and will soar away into the distance accordingly.

After a shot or two the ball should have puttered its way to the green. From there, a different technique is needed to ease the thing down that tiny hole to the subtle plop-plop-plop sound so beloved of the aficionados of the game. Putting is much simpler than the power shots; just aim, set the power and shoot.

On screen, your tiny homunculus will carefully follow your instructions, and you can watch the beautifully animated shot miss the hole by miles, just like the real thing.

You can play against up to three other like-minded, consenting adults or children, or just by yourself. You can't play against the computer fit probably doesn't like golf), so a solitary game is just against the par numbers for the course.

As was stated in the beginning, there are two types of people. The first will enjoy this game, and consider it excellent value for money. The second are in no danger whatsoever of buying it, and thus won't be disappointed. Golfs like that...

Ummmm... golf. Golf golf golf golf golf. Golf? Golf. Love it or hate it, it does exist. Unfortunate, but there you are. If it didn't, Golf would be a good name for a Tolkien monster, which would be worse. Possibly.

As a dispassionate reviewer, I have to say that the game is accurate, riot too difficult to play and builds up in skill nicely. As a human being, I have to say that I find golf insanely dull, and this software is accurate in reflecting this. I admire the programming, though, and the landscaping is decorative and useful.

Golf is one of those sports where the ethos extends beyond the green, usually into mail order catalogues, so it would be impossible to capture all the feel on a computer. Still I really, really enjoyed Leader Board.

The courses seem to have a fair bit of water separating them, so much so that a dinghy would seem to be a better bet than a golf cart. Perhaps this is a good way to learn the principals of golf before trying the real thing.

First of all, let me confess that I don't play any sports. Still, I quite enjoy watching them on TV. If it wasn't for all that, frantic exertion, I'd probably enjoy playing something. So a computer version of a sport seemed to he right up my street....but of all the possible sports, did it have to be golf?

I can't even watch golf on the telly, because it bores me to tears. Still, having said all that, I quite accept that there are lots and lots of people who enjoy watching and playing golf (there must be, mustn't there?) and if you are of their number then you will enjoy this game. It is as near to the real thing as you can get without leaving your armchair.