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Love it or hate it, many won't deny how well golf can be transferred from the real world to the binary one, with the classic Leaderboard being ahead of the pack on many 8-bit platforms. But what would happen if you implemented the main concept of the sport within the limits of a platform game? Well, Speccy guru Jonathan Cauldwell has some answers to that question in his latest production Albatrossity.

The game is for up to four players, which is handy if you want to introduce younger members of your family to the joys of 8-bit gaming. Sticking to tradition, it's player one who tees off first, with the aim to reach the, er, not so much green, but hole marked clearly with the flag which is placed at a certain and usually challenging part of the screen.

Each player will be able to set the power to put into their shot, and set the direction they're aiming the ball by rotating a pointer clockwise or anti-clockwise. Rather than selecting from different clubs to use, you have three types of balls with their own attributes, and only a limited number of each. The balls to choose from are rubber (for extra bounce), steel (for limited bounce and smashing through barriers) and sticky (which stick to the first surface that they come into contact with). The traditional water hazard is included, though there are other less conventional things you should try to avoid, including roaming nasties and unlockable doors. And what self-respecting Speccy game would be complete without a toilet or two? Not this one. Add the reversible gravity later on, and you have a game that builds nicely as you play through each course. It also adds puzzle elements for those who like to engage their grey matter.

Albatrossity is one of those productions that's easy to learn but difficult to master, with a nicely weighted learning curve and some devious level designs. To brighten this already cute production, Matt Westcott provides some bubbly scores for those machines equipped with an AY sound chip as standard.

This is a great communal and single-player game, and when you've finished all that it has to offer, you are able to design and save your own courses in a similar manner to Jonathan's very popular games designers Platform Game Designer and Shoot-'Em Up Designer available from Cronosoft. This offering has been fully credit crunched, as it's a free download available from Jonathan's site mentioned above.

And with Bob Smith working on another entirely different platform golf game, we have to wonder (as was pointed out on the World Of Spectrum forums) whether a whole new genre is being created on the humble 8-bit. So forget the caddy and fresh air that the real-life sport has to offer and enjoy this thoroughly entertaining piece of software instead.

Challenge your friends or family to a few rounds of this unique golfing experience.

Product: Albatrossity
Price: Free (download) TBA (cassette)
Author: Jonathan Cauldwell
Publisher: Self published (www.tinyurl.com/j-cauldwell)
Machine: 48/128k Sinclair ZX Spectrum