by Rich Cunningham

Microsoft has been making an effort to gain a foothold in the world of computer games. This is a new market for them, and like any new venture, it has had its problems. Some of the products they have released have stunk, pure and simple. Some have been very good. And some have disappeared into the cyberspace void of software never-never land, never to be seen again.

The latest release I have seen from them is called Microsoft Golf 3.0. It is, as the title leads us to believe, about the game of golf. For the uninitiated, golf is a game that involves hitting a little white ball with a stick, and trying to knock it into a hole some distance from where it is hit. It is very popular in all parts of the world, and it is possible to earn a comfortable living playing it (just ask Tiger Woods). By now you may be wondering what is so exciting about playing golf on a computer. Hit the ball, follow it, hit the ball, knock it onto the green, put it in the cup, and go on to the next hole. Real exciting, huh?

Well, here is where the Microsoft magic comes in. The boys in Redmond have managed to take a boring, non-violent game, and give it enough excitement to be fun. This is achieved by giving the courses a very realistic, photo-like quality, so real one could almost smell the pine trees (unless you're on a Hawaiian course, in which case it is ocean breezes). Sounds are added to enhance the game, not just birds, but gallery sounds, wind, and other natural golf course sounds, although I don't recall hearing any cursing. Prior to each tee shot, it is possible to do a fly-by of the current hole, with your caddy giving you the best way to play it. It is also possible to view the current player from several angles, so as to observe the swing.

Actual control of the player is pretty much the same as in other golf games. I can't think of a better way to do it, which is accomplished by click and hold to start the swing, release the click when the top of the swing is reached, and click again when the ball is hit. It relies a lot on hand-eye coordination to achieve this, but with a little work, you too can be hitting 270-yard tee shots every time. There is also the option of dressing the player, as well as choosing whether it is a him or her, and choosing a hairstyle and skin color. The ability to adjust stance, swing plane, ball position, and foot alignment is a nice feature, since this would allow a player to duplicate his own playing form and watch his mistakes. There are quite a few options that allows for customization of the game, such as choosing traditional stroke scoring, match play, "skins" and team best-ball scoring options. There are also a collection of computer controlled players that are ready for a good match.

The best feature I find in this program is the ability to play over modem or via a network. But MS Golf 3 will allow users to meet on the Internet and compete with golfers from around the world. The site for this is the Microsoft Internet Gaming Zone (http://www.zone.msn.com/). All that is needed for this is a software patch, available free over the net at http://www.microsoft.com/sports/golf, the official Microsoft Golf Web site. So now you can challenge your best friend across the hall, or someone you just met from Australia or Great Britain, and have a round of cyber-golf. (I wonder if there will be a cyber-19th hole?)

So if golf is your game, this game will be a welcome change for you. It has enough industry-standard golf features to be a challenge to play, and enough new features to represent a changing standard in how we play games in the future.