Pro Golf

Your Sinclair

Graphics 7/10

Playability 8/10

Value For Money 6/10

Addictiveness 8/10

Overall 7/10

Rick Robson 7/10

Atlantis £1.99 Reviewer: Rick Robson If your idea of golf is just standing there and whacking the wee dimply thing into the wide green yonder, then Atlantis' Pro-Golf will soon put you straight - straight down the middle, hopefully. Most people's traumas with golf begin when they attempt to hit the ball in the first place, and Pro-Golf is no different. But you won't be let loose in any tournament till you've had a go in the practise mode. Here you'll get used to the skills you'll need if you're to reduce your handicap - timing the ball so you don't slice or hook your stroke, it'll also give you practise at making strategic decisions such as which of the thirteen clubs to use for the appropriate position on the course. In fact, strategy games will find Pro-Golf as satisfying as sporting enthusiasts, I reckon. It's not just a case of correlating the weight of your shot to the distance it has to travel. You'll also contend with varying wind strengths that whistle round all points of the compass and various course hazards such as rough, heavy rough, trees, bunkers and water, all of which affect your shot. Greens are displayed on a separate screen and it's here that the gradient and its direction becomes crucial. And you'd better keep an eye on the weather conditions too 'cos these can cause up to a 50 percent variation in your shot. As you're given two totally mapped eighteen hole courses, Sunningdale and Pebble Beach, it'll take a satisfyingly long time to familiarise yourself with each hole and its unique qualities. Unless you're really ambitious you'll probably only play the single round option, simply because of time, but you can play a full four-round championship, including cup presentation, if you so desire. In championship you play seventeen others, with up to four players at a time on the keyboard - phew! If you're looking for a competent golfing simulation that's going for a birdie then Pro-Golf proves to be a hole in one!

Read it at Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years

Crash

Presentation 29%

Graphics 35%

Playability 24%

Addictive Qualities 21%

Value For Money 32%

Overall 26%

Ben Stone

Mike Dunn

Paul Sumner

Producer: Atlantis Retail Price: £1.99 Author: John Watson Budget golfing is now available on the Spectrum from ATLANTIS who have taken a different overall approach, offering an overhead view of the playing area. Before a player may progress onto the green several selections must be made. Pro Golf allows three different types of match play: championship round, single round or practice, and up to four players may approach the links together. Having selected the standard of play the next decision is between using a championship tee or a Metal tee, which governs the length of the drives you attempt. The course itself is either Sunningdale or Pebble beach, depending on which side of the cassette is loaded. Golf is played out in the open, and to add realism Pro Goff allows the effects of the elements on your game to be modified. The speed and direction of the wind may be selected and it can range from gusty to a steady gale. The ground can be wet, normal or dry. After the variables have all been adjusted, it's time to pull on the Pringle jumper and head off on to the course itself. The main part of the screen is taken up with an overhead view of the links and all the normal hazards are present: trees, the rough and treacherous bunkers. Windows placed over the course contain a graphic representation of the golfer you control, indicate the wind speed and the direction of the hole and show the par for the current hole and how far your ball has to travel before making contact with the flag. Before the ball is sent whizzing across to the green a shot must be set up. First choose a club: woods from 1 to 4 are available and irons from 1 to 9 are included in your bag along with a sand iron for those embarrassing bunker problems. After the appropriate club has been chosen, the direction of the shot must be selected, taking into consideration the effects of the wind. Moving a pointer that appears on a small compass at the bottom of the screen alters the orientation of your golfer. Finally, the power of the shot needs to be adjusted on a scale of zero to one hundred. The ball is hit by referring to the window that shows the player - time the shot so the ball is hit as the golfer's arms swing around. When the ball is on the green, the screen fills with an enlarged version of the putting green. The same set-up routine is used for putting, but the power of shots becomes more critical. COMMENTS Control keys: O left, P right, ENTER select, SPACE hit ball Joystick: n/a Use of colour: lots of colour but rather unimaginatively used Graphics: poor UDG characters Sound: spot effects plus a tune Skill levels: one Screens: 36

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

Graphics 8/10

Sound 8/10

Value 10/10

Playability 8/10

Brian (C+VG)

MACHINE: Spectrum 48/129 SUPPLIER: Atlantis PRICE: £1.99 If you're getting bored waiting for the release of Leaderboard on the Spectrum, then Atlantis have produced something to chase the boredom away. Will I be wasting my money, I hear you ask! Most certainly not I reply. There are two courses in the game which can be loaded from either side of the tape. These give you a real challenge to undertake especially if you fancy playing a round of golf in America without paying the air fare. The two included are Sunningdale (England) and Pebble Beach (U.S.A.). Up to four people can play at any one time. If a championship match is chosen, you play four rounds against seventeen other players which four can be controlled via the keyboard. A cup is presented to the winner after the fourth round, but in the event of a tie the computer will decide a play-off. A save game option is available after each hole, and after each round you are able to change all the conditions that you want. If you are not ready for a long game then a single round or practice option is available, four players can still join in the single round. In practice you are able to choose any hole and the conditions that you need the practice on. This must be the best game to come from Atlantis, especially with the fabulous title screen music. The only thing I dislike is not having a Pitching Wedge in amongst the selection of clubs. I'm off for another round!