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Zany Golf

Author

Lorenzo has written 23 additional reviews

AL Mobile

Screenshot of the site on a mobile phone

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Written by Lorenzo

July 9, 2001

Comments

Do you know golf ? That old English sport where snobbish-looking people aimlessly wander around a large field, hitting a ball with a club and trying to send it into a small hole? Well, forget it... this isn't actually a golf sim. This is an old arcade game involving bouncing burgers, pinballs, windmills, fairies and magic carpets. And it's much funnier than the real thing.


Graphics

Nice, colourful and detailed, almost the state of the art considering it was released in 1988. All of the 9 different holes are well drawn and each one is really peculiar in its own way. Shame about the scrolling though, it can be slow and jerky sometimes, but thanksfully that doesn't affect the gameplay too much.


Sound

Just a little tune and some sparse fx. Nothing to gape at, but not too bad either.


Gameplay

This game features 9 holes, each one with its own particular features and strategies; in Burger Hole, for example, we'll have to make a REALLY big burger bounce over the hole. In the Pinball Hole, as the name suggests, the golf ball will turn into a pinball and we'll have to make it bounce right to the putt. Sometimes a fairy will appear, and hitting her will award a few bonus strokes.


The great thing about this game is its excellent playability. Difficult to master, but very straight-forward to learn and play. It may be dated even for an ST game, but it has a distinct "let's give it another go" factor that used to keep me up playing till late night.


Real golf bores me to death, but this game is truly funny. You don't have to choose the right club out of a set of thirty, or to calculate the wind direction and intensity, or the friction of the terrain; just hit the ball and try to send it inside the hole.


Conclusion

An oldie but goldie, this game is still very playable after 13 years from its first release. Each hole is a pleasure to play and filled with bonuses, secrets and weird bouncy things. However, if you like real golf, you'd better leave this one alone and try Microprose Golf or World Class Leaderboard instead.





Score
  • Graphics: 7
  • Sound: 6
  • Gameplay: 9
  • Overall: 8

Review Comments

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Zone Warrior

February 12, 2023 by AtariCrypt

Once again, pesky aliens are giving us Earthlings lots of grief. We previously fought them off but they managed to pinch a time machine so are using that to alter history and wreak havoc by taking crucial hostages from each period in an attempt to halt their influence. From the invention of the wheel in prehistoric times to England's King Arthur uniting Britain! And where would any of us be today without Japan and its technical wizardry? Yep, we cannot allow this - the fight is on!

Son Shu Shi

March 21, 2021 by ST Graveyard

What an accomplishment this game is. Created with such a small team, the result is really amazing. The game oozes creative passion. While the gameplay is really well balanced, it is a tough cookie, very hard from time to time with its moments of sheer frustration. As of level 3, timing becomes key. You will need to practice and learn the levels to complete this game, there are so many bad guys on screen it sometimes gets a bit hard to take.

Blood Money

April 4, 2020 by Morcar

Graphically, it's also nice on the eyes with well-defined graphics and animation. You really get the feeling that the developers put some thought and love into the game. Remember what I said about the large levels? Well these are wonderful and are very different to each other, they also scroll fairly smooth in all four directions.

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