Links LS 99

• Windows 95/98/NT
• Pentium PC 150 Mhz
• 32Mb RAM
• Quad-speed CD-ROM Drive
• 2Mb Video capable of 800×600 resolution in 32,000 colours
• 110Mb free Hard Disk Space (480Mb for full installation)
• DirectX 6.0 (included on CD)
• 16bit soundcard
• Note to NT users: Internet play requires NT 5.0

Links LS 99 is the latest in the series of golf games from Access Software. Arnold Palmer is on hand to guide you through the different courses you can encounter : St. Andrews Links Old Course, Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Latrobe Country Club and Entrada at Snow Canyon. Virtual World Tours of his workshop office, trophy room and in-depth multimedia interviews are also available and when you’ve played all the courses available to death, you can separately buy a total of 25 other courses in expansion packs so it’ll take even the most dedicated golfer a long time to progress through all of those.

Installing and Running the Game

Installation couldn’t be easier. Choose which folder to put all the files in and install. The game comes on 4 CDs, but only the first two are required initially. Four different options are available to maximise the quality of the game and reduce CD access times, so if you have the hard disk space for it, install as much as possible, up to a maximum 480 Mb for the smoothest game you can get.

After installing, you can run the game from the desktop (if you allow an icon to be created) or from the Start Menu.

Playing the Game

Even those not remotely interested in golf will know that there’s more to the game than swinging the club as a bit of thought needs to go into the execution of the shot. However, Links LS 99 will tax your brain rather more than that as before you tee off, there’s stacks of options to consider first.

Choose your club type, one of many camera views of the golf ball’s trajectory, view the replay from the point of view of towards the hole or away from golfer, trace the path of the ball, select “Mulligans” (redo a shot without incurring a penalty), Gimmes (an option which is available if you’re close enough to the hole – you’ll get the hole, but it will cost you a shot), concede a hole, draw a grid onscreen to show the camber of the course. Not only this, but you can also create and edit your players and play against Arnold Palmer himself.

There are three different ways to play the game. The 2-click swing and 3-click swing are not much different as they involve clicking the mouse button twice instead of holding it down and release, before clicking one more time. In addition to this is a new PowerStroke swing, which involves moving the mouse in a complicated way while your golfer swings his club. It’ll take a long time to master that, so for now I’ll stick with the 3-click swing.

Graphics, Sound and Playability

Definitely no complaints here. The digitised players, including Arnold Palmer himself, are very well represented, obviously using the motion-capture technique. The courses are a lush green colour and look fantastic. You can choose a foggy and/or windy day, but after the dreadful weather we’ve had during winter, I’d rather see a nice sunny day with no weather problems whatsoever.

The sound isn’t particularly interesting as there’s not much going on, but then this isn’t “Quake II”. It’s a game of golf and apart from the sound of a golf ball being hit, comes the ambience of the crowd ooh-ing and aah-ing when a shot comes close to the hole, the birds singing in the trees and more of the same.

The playability depends on which method you choose to smack the ball from here to oblivion, or just onto the green. It takes a while to get used to the different methods involved, but once you find the one most suited to you, it takes a little time to master it, so be sure to choose “Mulligans” whenever possible so you can retake the shot as many times as you like.

Overall

This is more a game for the PC-owning golf enthusiast due to all the many aspects that can be altered, rather than someone who just wants a quick game of golf without all the intracacies and would be better off with a game from the Actua series. For the former though, this game will give you the chance to play on those famous courses normally reserved for watching on satellite television, or heaven forbid one day, pay-per-view.