The gentle sport of golf has been responsible for cult games such as Leaderboard and PGA Tour. Now Sega hope to carve a notch on the number one wood with their in-depth sim.

The summer's here and that means sunny days, hay fever, ridiculous baggy shorts and more sporting activities than you can shake a big stick at! Forget tennis, though, put football to one side and steer well clear of cricket 'cos there's a tough game that requires real skill to play: golf.

Golfs for true professionals and Sega have recreated all the fun of the open green with their latest sporting offering, World Tournament Golf. If you've ever fancied yourself as Jack Nicklaus or, er... one of those other famous golfing types, this could be the cart for you.

The features are mind-boggling! Select your favourite course, clubs, the type of competition you want to take pan in, the number of holes to complete and much more.

Up to four players may compete at once, each competitor's name entered letter by letter for that personal touch. The action's viewed from above as your golfer attempts to get the pesky ball into the hole in as few shots as possible.

Pulling a stroke

Use the joypad to move a marker which indicates the direction the ball will be hit. A swing-o-meter shows the strength of your stroke and how much snap is applied (to veer the ball left or right). Obstacles to avoid include trees, sand bunkers and water holes. Hitting these not only slows you down or wastes a stroke, there's a chance you'll lose the ball.

A trajectory window's used to determine the correct club. These range from four woods to five irons and from putters to sand wedges. Use the right club for the job, the right aim and amount of snap, and the course is as good as won.

Get ready to pull on your tartan trousers, spiked shoes and smart cap 'cos this summer's gonna be a Sega swinger!

Tim says... ‘ENTERTAINING’

I've just had my tee and now I'm going out clubbing. I'm not painting the town red (unfortunately), I'm playing golf. Yawn. Actually, Sega World Tournament Golf isn't a bad cart, but felt a little bogged down with all the fiddly options. These may be necessary to improve performance but I was messing around for five minutes before I started playing.

Despite this niggle, SWT Golf’s quite entertaining — I was surprised to find myself mildly addicted because sports sims aren't usually my cup of tea. There are three skill levels but if you're an inexperienced little putter like myself, stick to novice mode.

The graphics and sound are a little disappointing. The course is just one big mass of greenery with the occasional sand pit and the hole's difficult to spot. Sound-wise there's little on offer: the music's sparse and effects are average.

World Tournament Golf’s gameplay is impressive but Sega should've used more imagination when it came to graphics and sound.

TIM 69%

Mat grins... ‘ONLY THE CADDY'S MISSING!’

I'm not really one for sports games and golf sims are the bane of my life, but Sega World Tournament Golf’s pretty neat.

For a start, there are enough options to keep a whole team of golfers occupied for a month! In some games, too many options can make things confusing, but they're essential for golf. It's a pain for beginners who just want to get to the game but once you've played a few rounds, you find the options make it a lot better to play.

As far as graphics go, World Tournament Golfs fairly average, but clever touches (such as the ball perspective it flies through the air) gloss over the fact there's not much to see.

The best point is the four-player option. Grab your mates for a thrilling competition and this golf game really takes off.

World Tournament Golf could do with improved graphics and sound but it's still one of the best sporting games available for the MS.

MAT 86%

MF Rating

Graphics

66

Sound

48

Playability

75

Lastability

81

78

A realistic golfing simulation with long-lasting appeal thanks to the multiple-player option

Rating

78

Reviewer

Sega Master Force magazine

Region

UK

Scans

Sega Master Force - Issue 2

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