Whack the ball!
Following in the footsteps of the likes of Zany Golf comes this updated version of the first game in the surprisingly extensive series of mini-golf simulators. This one is actually a pretty decent little title so if you do like a bit of off-beat golf and find the likes of PGA Tour a bit too serious, then this might just be for you. The original game featured eighteen holes of whacky fun, with some fairly clever and challenging courses to test your skills over and which had a variety of options, including two different control methods and different ways to play through the courses. The only real change to this updated version is the addition of nine new courses, bringing the total up to 27. There are some really nice additions to the line up here and playing through the courses is both a surreal and entertaining experience. The new courses are highly challenging at times, bordering on the frustrating occasionally, with some of them requiring almost superhuman precision, so if you're looking for a casual knockaround, be warned. As far as mini-golf games go, this one is pretty decent. It's got pleasing, if less than spectacular graphics, which are reasonably detailed but which are certainly charming enough. There's also plenty of options to play around with, while the controls are slick, responsive and intuitive, no matter which option you take. If you have the original, then this probably isn't worth getting, as it should have been an add-on pack, given the limited extra content. However, if you're looking for a brief excursion into mini-golf, then this does what you need.
