Playing games like David Leadbetter Greens - Microprose Golf is like taking a time machine back into your childhood. A time when games developers couldn’t just rely on fancy graphics to sell a game, but actually make games that were, catchy, challenging and until you finally conquered the buggers, kept you thinking about them endlessly when you weren’t playing them. I believe addictive is the word.
David Leadbetter Greens - Microprose Golf was certainly addictive. A couple of mates and I, who admittedly all had golfing backgrounds, couldn’t stop playing this ripper of a game after I first bought it home all those years ago.
It was the first video golfing game any of us had ever played. While waiting the regulation 10 minutes for it to load up, we quickly flicked through the instruction manual and grabbed our controllers in the hope of this being the golfing equivalent of Pirates or 4th & Inches.
After the title screen loaded up and we typed in our names, we were taken away to the course. We all thought it was so cool because for the time, the graphics were pretty good. The course looked great with its trees, bunkers and water hazards. Little did we know at the time, but not only did it look good, the game play was excellent. It was the first time any of us had
come across the 3 times hit the button power bar for shot strength and direction. After aiming your golfer in the correct direction, then selecting the appropriate club for the distance required, it was time to get down to gripping it and ripping it. BANG, press the button once to get the power bar heading up, BANG press the button again once the bar had reached the percentage required to hit the ball the desired strength, and then Bang again, this time hoping to stop the bar back where it started to avoid hooking or slicing the ball.
It all sounds so easy, but it was SO addictive, and just like a real golf course, every hole was different. On top of that, every time you played it was different due to wind conditions and pin placements on the green. Not only that, but from memory there were a couple of different courses to choose from as well.
All in all, a highly recommended game that if you don’t compare to modern video golf game graphics, really holds up beautifully. Have fun.
