iGolf

.: By: Mike :: Device used: iPAQ H3650 :: December 10, 2000 :: Buy this game :.

Update: One of the issues discussed in the review below has now been addressed by CECraft. The game now offers a choice of swing bar speeds, regular and slow. High scores are not recorded when the slow swing bar speed is used, but it is nevertheless a welcome addition to the game.

Original review:

For a long time, if you wanted a golf game to play on your Pocket PC, there was no competition. Quite literally as it happened, because the only option available was ZIOGolf (review). Now, however, there's a new clubhouse in town, with the arrival of iGolf from CECraft.

Loading up the game (which requires quite a few MB of program memory to run, by the way - the only warning I got when there wasn't enough was an obscure error message) brings you to the main menu, offering you the choice of regular or network play.

The network play feature actually allows you to compete in multiplayer games over the Internet; unfortunately, I wasn't able to fully test this feature out due to the lack of users, a problem which presumably will be reduced once the game starts selling in earnest. However, I was able to log myself in as a new user (a quick and painless process) and explore the online play options without a problem. It would seem that games involving up to four players are supported and there are all the standard features associated with online gaming - chat channels, private chat, the ability to create and join games, as well as the option of deciding how many players you want to include in your game.

With regular play, you are presented first of all with a player setup screen, where you can choose how many players will participate (up to four), their names, whether they are human or computer, and the style of player they are. With regards to the latter, this involves choosing between four different types of player, each with varying degrees of power, spin and accuracy. Personally, I would have preferred to see an RPG-style points allocation system, rather than being restricted to preset values, but that's a relatively minor quibble.

So, on to the game itself. The first thing that strikes you is the quality of the graphics. They are, quite simply, outstanding, more detailed and noticeably less blocky than those on offer in ZIOGolf. The game screen is composed of several elements, all set against the main player view which by default is a standard slightly-behind-your-character viewpoint. In the top left-hand corner, a blue arrow indicates wind speed and direction (unlike ZIOGolf, this doesn't fluctuate wildly, much to my relief), while just below is a box containing information on the current hole - the par information, its total distance, how many yards you are from the flag, your current score and your currently selected club.

In the top right-hand corner, you'll find a top-down mini map of the hole. Your projected shot trajectory (assuming you hit it correctly!) is marked on this map by means of a blue line, and can be altered by using the stylus. The map is useful not only for giving a clear idea of just where your shot is looking to end up, but also the location of hazards such as bunkers, water and the rough. Below is a lie marker, indicating what the ball is lying in and two numbers indicating to what extent this will affect your swing. At the very top of the screen is a marker indicating the direction of the flag (useful for when you can't actually see it) and how much higher or lower it is relative to your position.

Finally, in the bottom left-hand corner is the club selection section. This is one of the neatest parts of the game in that it is actually a "tabbed" element in that there is a small arrowed button which either shows the various club selection buttons or hides them depending on their current status. In many ways, it's similar to any drop-down or pop-up menu system, except that it's from the side. It's a neat way of allowing the user to hide something which isn't useful all of the time, while at the same time allowing easy and quick access.

Along with picking which club to use, you can also choose what style of shot to play, which affects what the ball does when it lands. For example, you can choose a shot which will result in the ball spinning backwards upon landing, or opt for one that sees the ball bounce onwards in order to achieve maximum distance. Or perhaps you're confident in your abilities to land the ball as close to the flag as possible, in which case you might choose a shot style that stops the ball dead in its tracks once it hits the surface.

Ironically, the game's biggest downfall is the control system. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with it per se, except for the fact that it's simply too fast! The game uses a three-click method, the first being to start the swing meter. The second click (or tap, to be more precise) sets the power - i.e. closer to the top for more power - and the third and final one sets the accuracy. A rising blue bar indicates the power level which, once set, triggers a rapidly descending yellow rectangle which should be stopped in the right position to avoid slicing your shot to the right or left.

Unfortunately, at least on my iPAQ (and I have heard reports from Jornada users too), the swing meter is uncomfortably fast, making the game extremely difficult to play. In order to be consistently successful, you would need the reactions of a hyperactive Tasmanian Devil who's taken one Prozac too many! What I would have liked to have seen is the implementation of more than one difficulty level, so that users at least have the option to slow the swing meter down. On a positive note, the CECraft representative who I contacted, certainly seemed friendly and willing to listen, so perhaps by the time you read this, a new and slightly less speedy version will be available.

Putting is simpler in that all you have to do, having aimed your shot, is concentrate on power. Helpfully, the putting power bar is slower than the regular swing bar, which makes things considerably easier. The only problem is that, especially with long shots, it's difficult to judge the break of the greens, something which isn't helped by the lack of a grid option common in most other golf titles.

This brings me on to another complaint with the game, albeit relatively minor once again. Aside from the four preset different skill levels, unlike the vast majority (if not all) of golfing games around on the PC and other systems today, there is no way of changing the difficulty level of computer opponents. What I would have preferred to have seen would be preset opponents - ideally based in part or entirely on real-life players, although licensing restrictions would presumably render this impossible - ranging from absolute beginners (to give players like myself a chance!) to Tiger Woods-alike!

There are other idiosyncrasies as well. For a start, there didn't appear to be an option to choose whether to "drop" the ball or not, there's no way of taking a mulligan (personally, I very much appreciate having a few mulligans to waste!), and I noticed the occasional graphical glitch (e.g. a house appearing where it shouldn't, the views not always displaying the correct information). Also, it would have been nice to be able to choose between skins and stroke play. However, these certainly didn't impact my enjoyment of the game.

The game has a couple of really neat features to its name. The first is that it can be switched from regular screen mode to landscape mode - I'm not convinced of how much help this really is, but it's certainly a really neat trick! Another nice touch is the ability to save and load games (up to four in total), something which ZIOGolf lacks.

Overall, there is little doubt about it. iGolf is better than ZIOGolf and, even allowing for any golf titles you can run on the various emulators available, it's probably still the best golfing title you're going to get. Despite the swing bar that moves a little too fast for my taste, I still found this a hugely entertaining game - for me, the gameplay has a certain je ne sais quoi that makes it more fun than ZIOGolf and the multiplayer and online play options are the icing on a very rich cake.

As with every game, there are blemishes, but these are for the most part unimportant. With its sumptuous looks, a projected price tag of around $20 (at the time of writing, this was not yet finalised), wide range of features and fun gameplay, iGolf is definitely a title worth buying.

.: Game category: Sports Games :: Reviews Index :: Buy this game :.