SimGolf

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: 1997
• Genre: Sports
• Style: Golf
• Similar Games: SimCity (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), The Golf Pro (IBM PC Compatible), Links 386 Pro CD (IBM PC Compatible), SimCity (Commodore 64/128), SimCity Classic (Hybrid Windows/Mac), SimCity (Atari ST), SimCity (Commodore Amiga)

Game Description

SimGolf is a combination of a multi-course golfing game and a golf course design package. The player gets to play several 18-hole courses around the world or design and modify his or her own courses.

CourseArchitect gives the player a blank landscape with variable terrain and the ability to add greens, tees, holes, rough, trees, rocks, and water to provide obstacles and challenges. Another unique feature of the game is the "MouseSwing," a new method of hitting the ball using the motion of the mouse rather than just multiple clicks on it.

Roots & Influences

Early golf games had simple graphics and few courses, relying on colorful greens and sound effects for their appeal. Photo-quality graphics became more common and accurate in the late 1990s, adding a new degree of realism. This game also uses a unique interface for the golf stroke to add enjoyment.

Review: Overall

SimGolf represents Maxis' first venture into the sports game genre. This superb interactive golfing experience offers dozens of challenging holes on which to practice one's technique and a powerful, intuitive golf course designer that is the best I've ever used.

Although the game is designed to run in Windows 95 only, the gameplay is still smooth and the title is not as power-hungry as many other contemporary golf games. The Course Architect option does need a powerful (Pentium 133Mhz or better) machine to do its job quickly, however. The golf game itself is simple, with fast screen updates, animated 3D ball-chasing camera angles, and quick viewpoint changes. There are no photo-realistic graphics here, but the end result - even on real courses such as Rancho La Quinta and The Prince in Kauai - is enjoyable and satisfying.

There are two big selling points to SimGolf. The first is the aforementioned Course Architect. The developers at Maxis specialize in excellent simulation-creation titles like SimCopter and SimCity and their golf course creation package does not disappoint. The "Course Wizard" provides a blank landscape with variable terrain. Each hole is produced by placing the pins and tees at selected locations and then filling the gaps in between with greens, fairways, bunkers, trees, water, and the like. Then the player gets to play his or her very own hole, an experience which can be extremely fulfilling or downright maddening!

The game's second important feature is called MouseSwing, a new way of belting the ball up the virtual fairway. Just clicking the mouse several times does not seem to replicate the act of swinging the club, so Maxis developed the idea of clicking and holding a club in a meshed window, dragging it down to the bottom of the box, and then pushing it back up as hard as possible. This method is quite forgiving and, after a little practice, the ball should be sailing straight up the fairways (oops...was that another mulligan?).

Overall, SimGolf provides a pleasant game of golf. It's not too frustrating nor too taxing, just like the real thing should be. The Course Architect makes the package well worth having if you are a fan of the sport and the MouseSwing adds a new aspect of gameplay for computer golf veterans.

Review: Enjoyment

Ultimately satisfying to play on one's own design of golf course!

Review: Graphics

Detailed, but not photo-realistic

Review: Sound

Adds feeling to the gameplay

Review: Replay Value

Multiple options and creative opportunities

Review: Documentation

Slightly patronising manual

Production Credits

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)