ARNOLD PALMER TOURNAMENT GOLF 

 Here it is...the 18th hole. You're a few strokes away from
finishing in first place (and walking away $100,000 richer). The
plush green is 185 yards in the distance. Your ball sits motionless
on the fairway. Which club should you go with? The five wood? The
one iron? The two iron? Welcome to the world of ARNOLD PALMER
TOURNAMENT GOLF! (This review is based on the Sega Genesis
version.) 

 I'm sure many of you have played golf simulations before. They're
fun, but they don't give you the actual _feel_ of a golf course. 
Most games with poor graphics have realistic action; games with
wonderful, animated graphics always fall short on game play. Well, 
all this has changed. TOURNAMENT GOLF is the first game I've
encountered that mixes colorful, 3-D graphics with the play action
every golfer desires. 

 When you start the game, you're allowed to select either Tournament
Mode or Practice. In Tournament Mode, you pit yourself against 15
"computer-controlled" golfers in an 18-hole game. If you have what
it takes, you'll end up in first place and win a new set of clubs
-- along with power, skill, and a better caddy. (All of this can be
retained by writing down a password that lets you continue the
tournament at a later time). Don't think this will be easy; the
Non-Player Golfers are always on your tail. 

 Before you decide to take on the top 15 golfers in "Segaland," 
you'll probably want to practice for a while and get the feel of the
game. After selecting practice mode, you'll pick the club material
(Carbon, Fiberglass, or Super Ceramic), and the type of clubs you'll
take to the course. Other options include your level of expertise, 
hole number, wind conditions, and the course (United States, Japan, 
or Great Britain) you want to tackle. 

 The actual game screen comprises two large windows and various
pop-up information boxes. On the left quarter of the screen, there's
an overhead view of the course. The remaining display provides a
first-person view of your current situation. By pressing various
buttons (as shown in the manual), you can obtain data regarding the
distance from the hole, your club, wind direction, and even a
close-up indication of the ball's location. When you finish
assimilating these details, it's time to tee off. 

 Hitting the ball in this game is quite easy. On the right side of
the screen, you'll find a power gauge. To hit the ball, you must
press the "A" button one time to begin the backswing. You'll see two
markers on the gauge rising (the higher they are, the more powerful
your swing will be). When you think the strength is right, you press
the button again. This causes the left marker to stop and the right
one to descend. Finally, when the right marker falls into "hitting
range," you push the button once more and your ball should go
soaring. The entire action takes little more than a second and can
easily be mastered after a few tries. 

 As I mentioned above, the game comes with a "password saving
option." This is the only major aspect of the game that falls short
of perfect. First, the password is very long: 36 characters. Many of
the characters are difficult to read, so errors in the code are not
uncommon. In fact, don't be surprised if four out of five codes that
you write don't allow you to continue. This is especially
frustrating if you're the tournament leader, because you'll have to
start over and lose a possibly great round. 

 Nevertheless, ARNOLD PALMER TOURNAMENT GOLF is an excellent golf
simulation with many unique features and options. If you feel that
great action, wonderful sound effects, incredible realism, and
superb variety outweigh the inconvenience of frequent password
errors, then you'll consider this game a sure hole-in-one. 

 ARNOLD PALMER TOURNAMENT GOLF is published and distributed by
Sega. 

*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253