The golf genre is a course well maintained and well trod. There may have been a few divots taken out of the program with solid shots in the past by such companies as EA Sports and Microsoft. But the latter has jumped from the LS Links 2000 set into Microsoft 2001 Edition with startling results.

This program is easy to play and quite a lot of fun.

Microsoft has reworked the ball dynamics to allow for rotation on a shot, backspin and more natural lies than in past incarnations of their program. Couple that with a terrific options package, live video interspliced with photographed courses brought lovingly to cyber life, and you have a program that smacks of realism.

The game features seven great looking courses: Bighorn, Bountiful, Entrada at Snow Canyon, Kapalua Plantation, Mauna Kea Resort, Sea Island Golf Club and Three Canyons.

Links LS featured Arnold Palmer. You won’t find any big names in this program, unless you consider Professional Pete, or Championship Carla personal heroes. The third cyber character is Amateur Allen, who looks like a child. You can create and customize your own golfer, choosing from three female and five male models to emulate your character in the game. Of course, you can do limited modifications to each golfer’s attire, but that is pretty incidental to the overall game.

There are 10 modes of play, including the standard play in the stroke, skins, match, and scramble formats. There are some interesting variations that come with instructions for the game, as well as intriguing and fun play.

You can set the number of mulligans you want to allow, as well as the distance from the cup where the shot is considered a gimme.

What makes this program outstanding is the swing options. There are three ways to swing the club: an easy swing (which is one click at a target bar, but you really aren’t penalized much for over swinging or under swinging), the standard three click (one to start, one to nail the power marker and the third to try to hit the club face angle upon impact with the ball), and the power stroke (where you take the swing in your own hands, or mouse). The easy swing will enable anyone, from a child in the 7-9 age range to anyone older who has never played a golf game before, to immediately experience some success in the game. All you have to do is target and click on the ball to begin the swing, click again when it nears the target marker on the swing meter. Once you have mastered that, it is time to begin challenging yourself by tackling the other swing options.

Once you have created your game, and selected your golfers and course, it’s time to hit the links. There you are treated to courses that look like three-dimensional photographs. These courses look lush, expansive and you will find yourself eager to tackle them. However, there are some anomalies that detract from the look. Amateur Allen seems stuck behind some sort of wooden structure at Sea Island. However, he steps up and strikes the ball right at the structure. Rather than bounce back and hit him in the face, the ball carries to the green. Huh? Nope, he didn’t hit an arcade ball that can pass through solid objects – it’s just one of the inconsistencies in the program. Just like seeing your golf shot cut through the tip-top of a tree, the leafy section, then hear the kind of thunk that would indicate striking a tree dead center, and the ball bounces back.

Though the greens have a grid overlay, they are tough to read and present a real challenge. Once you have learned to recognize the patterns, you will have better luck. However, in the interim, learn to lag your putts.

The sound is a bit disappointing. EA Sports features stroke-by-stroke commentary. Microsoft’s version features very little talk from the commentators, and most of that is relegated to some sarcasm and Chevy Chase “Caddy Shack” lines. However, the sound of the swing, club meeting ball, and ambient sounds of the courses are well rendered.

The controls are very easy to understand, and there is an in-game tutorial to help explain and fine-tune your game.

This program is rated for everyone and supports multiplayer games.

Microsoft Golf 2001 Edition does have a few deficiencies, but they are minor. The strong suit comes in the graphical elements and ease of play. This is the golf game that will enable families to play together and give the newer players a chance to succeed.

Install: Easy. The minimum install is 283 megs, with the maximum only 435 megs of hard drive space. The game goes onto the computer easily.

Gameplay: 8.5. Of course there are minor pauses while the next shot is set up, but overall the game flows very well from hole to hole.

Graphics: 8.5. This program integrates live action and photographed courses with computer animation in incredible fashion. The live video of the golfers is terrific, and the courses are tantalizing.

Sound: 7. The sound quality isn’t bad, but can’t really compare to EA Sports’ Tiger Woods program. This program has announcers that just pass verbal judgment of some of the shots, but the commentary doesn’t really add to the program.

Difficulty: 7. This is a tough call simply because Microsoft has made this program very accessible to people of all ages and skill levels. The swing styles can accommodate the young novice who wants to give the game a whirl, while the power swing will fit the serious cyber golfer who likes to take control of the swing and emulate it with the mouse. The in-game tutorial will help duffers learn the nuances of rotating the ball and targeting.

Concept: 7. This is not a new genre, and it has been tread many times by not only Microsoft, but many other publishers. However, there is enough new in this program – like the courses, the way the ball moves, and the new modes of play, to give this program the feel of treading new water in a much-used pool.

Overall: 8.5. This program is fun, it is easy to jump in and play, and it has enough variation to lock it down as a program that fits any player of any skill. This is a terrific game.