The Links LS Golf Experience: Introduction by Ernie Barnes, Links LS writer Year after year, Access Software wins the gaming industry's most coveted awards because of a belief, the belief that a PC golf game should be more than just an interaction with your mouse but as close to the real world of golf as they can make it, and that is exactly what the Access development team has done! From the scenic mountains of Bighorn Golf Club in Palm Desert California, to the inspiring wilderness of Banff Springs, Alberta, Canada, to the very roots of golf itself - St. Andrews, Links LS Golf completely immerses you in the beauty, tradition, and competition of a truly great sport. This is not your ordinary sports simulation. Each available course is carefully photographed from the ground, noting things such as area landmarks. The development team then methodically takes numerous aerial photographs and videos, flying many passes over the course for a few days, then takes all this data back to the lab and expertly recreates each course in incredible detail. After a few minutes of playing this game, you'll soon discover why many have labelled Links LS Golf as "The Greatest Sports Simulation Ever!" Links LS Golf (current version LS '99) is reasonably priced compared to most games. At $49.95 (from the Access Software website), you receive a 4 CD bundle, which contains the game itself, a multimedia tour of various places (including Arnold Palmer's home at Latrobe Country Club), up to 8 player animations from which to choose (including Arnie himself!), and 4 championship caliber golf courses (Latrobe Country Club, Entrada at Snow Canyon, Bay Hill Golf Club, and of course, the infamous St. Andrews Old Course). Individual add-on courses vary in price, and there are 4 CD Library volumes which contain 5 different courses each, and at $19.95 each (less than $4.00 per course), you'll soon have the entire arsenal of championship courses at your disposal. This feature-packed simulation is lush with graphics, sound, and animation, and with all the settings turned up, the game is a bit of a system resource hog, however, given the complexities of this game, I find it truly amazing this game functions quite nicely on a computer which meet's the suggested minimum requirements (Pentium 150mHz CPU with Windows 95/98, a 4x CD-ROM, 32 MB video RAM, 1 MB video card capable of 800x600 resolution in 32k colors, 42 MB free hard drive space, an 8 bit sound card, and a standard serial mouse). Some of the more intriguing features of this game are: Internet Spectators - Any number of people may access the IP address of the host player (if the host player chooses this option) and watch the match with no impediment to the players who are playing (I once played a match with 25 spectators, wow, was that ever a wild "gallery"!). Methods of Play (MOP) - You "create" a game, one of my favorites going around right now is "5 Club Skins", where you play for money (like the Skins games you see on TV), except you are only allowed to select 5 clubs (plus your putter) to use for the entire match! The possibilities are endless as the MOP designer is fully customizeable. The Internet Lobby - New with LS '99, this is a meeting place where you can play a round of golf with up to 7 other players anywhere in the world or join a game in progress as a spectator and watch the action. Voice Chat - Also new with LS '99, now you may chat with your opponent(s) in real time while you are playing your matches! A fully functional 9 hole demo of this tremendous game is available at the Access Software Web Site. In the upcoming issues of Fore!, I'll bring you more details about this great computer simulation, including tips & strategies, tournament site reviews, interviews with this games greatest cybergolfers, and much more. For now, take it from me, if you only buy one computer game in your entire life, you've completely wasted your money if that game was NOT Links LS Golf! Ernie is currently ranked 17th in the world (Source: World LS Champ Rankings), and is an avid player who enjoys helping others learn this great game. Visit his website at http://www.oocities.org/~erniebarnes. [Home] [Opinion] [Equipment] [Links LS] [Golf Tips] [Rules of Golf] [Monthly Joke]