Previous Next

Hand me my mashie, it's golfing simulation time. A welcome change, this, from football or some obscure corrupted American game.

It's not just any old game on any old course either. This is the Open Championship at Royal St George's. Each hole is painstakingly represented with bunkers, fairways and pins all in the exact position.

Your scree is split into six different sections. The top half represents the course in close up, from a vertical viewpoint. Wind direction is signified at the top right-hand side. The bottom half is a number of smaller sections in which you select club type, strength of shot and direction of shot. You choose your options which are displayed icon-style on the screen with a little hand that you move around with the joystick.

The centre of the screen is taken up with the animation. When you've finished choosing a club and got yourself all settled you hit the fire button. The caddy may well ask you if you're sure of your choice, and it pays to listen to him. He dresses badly, but he knows his clubs.

The gameplay is good. You won't master this quickly. The graphics aren't that great. I'd say my man has a bit of a hunched action, which is probably why the ball isn't going far enough. My only niggles are the map, which is not all that clear to begin with (I got lost several times) - the sixth is particularly confusing. The only other drawback is that it's a bit slow. But it's a slow game, so I suppose it doesn't matter.