Jack Nicklaus' Golf review - Nintendo Entertainment System

Jack Nicklaus is a bit of a boffin when it comes to golf, having won just about every major golfing accolade possible. However, he's taken time off from his exciting golfing exploits to endorse this new Nintendo golf simulation.

Like a lot of current golf simulations, Jack Nicklaus Golf gives you a 3D view of the proceedings, and it's your golfer's task to clobber the ball in the direction of the green. When you're on the green, you'll no doubt notice a small hole. Simply put the little white spherical item into this hole and Bob's your uncle, the hole's over.

This process is repeated seventeen more times, as there are a massive 18 holes crammed into this simulation, but each hole presents its own set of hazards to make the job that bit more difficult...

What the Mean Machines staff thought

There are a lot of good golf games appearing on other consoles but, most mysteriously (considering it is the world's number one games system) there aren't any on the Nintendo, and this pretty poor effort doesn't improve the situation. The 3D course display (as well as being ugly and slow to draw) is pointless because it gives very little idea of how far away the course features actually are. This makes gauging the power and direction of the shot ridiculously difficult, and consequently the game is terribly frustrating. The four player option is laudable, but why would four people want to play such a duff game? Give it a miss.

We've been deluged with golf games on the other consoles and the vast majority of them have been rather exceptional. The Nintendo finally gets a new golf game and what happens? It turns out to be the worst game of its type seen for a very long time! The graphics are blocky and incredibly unconvincing, and after every shot it takes about five seconds for the course to finish re-drawing itself - arrghhh! To add insult to injury, the actual play area is also a bit on the small side. The sound is similarly dire too, though there's some sampled sound that (very) occasionally makes an appearance. Lastability isn't too hot either, with only the greatest 18 to conquer and I don't think that'll take too long. If I were you, I'd save the cash for a more deserving NES title. Hopefully, it won't be too long before Nintendo see fit to release a superior version of this compelling type of game.