Despite what it looks like on the box, Sid Meier's Sim Golf isn't the latest game to attempt to faithfully recreate the sport of golf. Instead, the idea this time is to build and manage your own golf course, designing your own holes and attempting to attract the major tournaments in the process.
Taking its lead from the simple interface of games such as Theme Park, Sid Meier's Sim Golf is very easy to get to grips with, courtesy of intuitive controls and a helpful tutorial mode. You can choose to set your golf club up in one of 16 locations across the globe, and thanks to an inheritance from your late Uncle, you've got limited funding to help you get things going. Naturally enough, you'll start small, building up and expanding as you get more successful, and it'll take some time until you can finish building the 18th, at which point you can try and attract tournaments whilst constructing a new course elsewhere in the world.
Admittedly, the premise may not initially generate excitement, but credit where credit's due, for this is a challenging, enjoyable strategy game that never leaves you bewildered, yet still presents quite a job to start generating profit. The lack of an overall objective beyond that won't endear it to those who like a predefined goal to achieve, and the laid-back gameplay style may similarly leave some players cold. Yet there are so many intricate little challenges to the game, particularly when attempting to construct the best holes you can, that it's an easy way to lose track of time and relax for a couple of hours. An ideal next step for fans of Tycoon-style games.--Simon Brew
Amazon.co.uk Review
Sim Golf will challenge players to create and maintain a golf resort. You've got to build everything from the back nine to the pro shop. Set prices, maintain the grounds and keep the challenge high, but not so high that you alienate the casual golfers out there.
You can build courses in one of 16 different locations, each with its own features you'll have to build around. You can place the traps, set the pitch of the greens and design the bunkers to your heart's delight. Upload the courses and share them with golf fanatics everywhere. Really, the only thing you won't be able to do is actually play them in 3-D but you'll have all kinds of little sim people coming over to do that for you. The golfers will make or break you, however; their happiness determines how popular the course is and how many paying customers you'll get. One bad hole can throw off the whole course.
Because this game is a collaborative effort between Will Wright (creator of SimCity and The Sims) and Sid Meier (Civilization and Gettysburg) Sim Golf is sure to be a hit. Both men are proven designers adept at balancing gameplay and accessibility for fans of all ages.
--Andrew S Bub
Manufacturer's Description
Sid Meier's SimGolfClub is the first and only game that puts you in charge of your very own golf resort. You'll get to play the roles of course designer, CEO and resident pro as you try and grow your business from a small, public pitch-and-putt to a five-star resort complete with private memberships, airstrips and luxury hotels. To do this, you'll need to design courses that are fun and challenging and manage your resort's resources to satisfy your guests growing needs. You'll even have a chance to test your course and your golf skills when your Sims challenge you to a round!
