Links Championship gives a good play and day
MIKE BERMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
January 02, 2002

The marketing geniuses at Microsoft have found another way to take advantage of those of us who have a long-term addiction to computer golf and Microsoft Links. It's called the Links Championship Edition ($59.95) and is actually the Links Expansion Pack ($19.95) and Links 2001 in one convenient package.

Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the Links legacy, here's a brief rundown.

Links was developed during the dark ages of computer gaming by Access Software and provided us with some of the most realistic courses and sounds available in computer golf and made the phrase "I think I hit a tree" more popular than "wazzup!". One edition gave us more respect for our caddies and exposed us to the insults of Bobcat Goldwaith. After the release of Links LS, which was the first to feature an animated Arnold Palmer, Access was devoured by Microsoft, which spawned Links 2000, Links 2001, etc.

If you already own 2001, of course, you're better off purchasing the expansion pack, which features four new courses, two more animated golfer - Keith Clearwater and Mike Weir - the Links course conversion tool, which enables you to play your older courses, and new course design kits that can be used with the Arnold Palmer Course Designer that was included with 2001.

The Championship Edition is aimed at those that are not yet Links addicts or don't own 2001. By combining the features of the two products, it gives us a package containing six pro golfers including Hidemichi Tanaka (new with the Championship Edition), Sergio Garcia, Annika Sorenstam, and Palmer, Weir, and Clearwater and nine animated amateurs, all with their own personalities.

In addition you get 13 golf courses, adding Frankfurter, Oakmont, Royal Melbourne and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail to the nine that were available in 2001 and the expansion pack. They've also added a "dynamic view" to the game's camera angles, which shows you the ball as it lands - wherever that may be.

This is still the golf sim to beat. The golfer animations are extremely realistic, from the different ways they strike the ball to their reactions after the shots. Course design and graphics are unbelievably accurate, from the thickness of the rough to the undulations of the greens. And it's easy to play. Different swing modes give you the option of just pointing and clicking (the easy mode) to moving your mouse all over your desk trying to hit the ball perfectly (power mode). This makes it more enjoyable for those that are mouse-deficient, like me.

And, if you're bored with the sound scripts that come with the game, a visit to www.heymartin.com or any of dozens of Links-related website will provide you with everything from authentic golf broadcasts to music, TV and movie sound clips to enliven your time on the course.