World Cup Golf

Based on the international tourney, World Cup Golf on the 3DO sends you to Puerto Rico's Dorado Beach resort. You'd better wear some sunblock before you prepare to tee off: The graphics are so good that you might get sunburned.

Greenskeeper's Dream

Lots of options make this game score. There are no recognizable names from the PGA roster, but nice features allow you to adjust the weather and create your own golfer using a simple pop-up interface. While World Cup Golf offers only one course, 15 types of tournaments like skins, medal, and stableford should keep the avid golfer intrigued.

With a behind-the-golfer view and a "ball cam," the game's graphics are its strongest feature. More than 500 playable views on each hole give you the best possible angle on a lie. On the downside, the computer considers out-of-bounds very close to the edge of the fairway. If you have a playable shot in the rough, you often get an obstructed view of your golfer, making a difficult shot even tougher.

The sound effects are limited but high quality. Most notable is the British commentator and the steel-drum music that plays on the opening screens.

Not Caddvshack

Serious golfers will appreciate this challenging course and will want to keep trying to lower their handicap. Although it plays like other golf games on the market, the easy-to-command features and graphical realism make World Cup Golf worth the green fee.

Using WaveFront technology and Silicon Graphics workstations, this officially licensed game has 15 types of competition, including Skins, Texas Scramble, and Match Play. The graphics recreate the Dorado Beach course in detail, serving up more than 500 views per hole. You control weather and ground conditions, your stance, swing power, and backspin. CD-quality music backs the World Cup Golf Tournament intro, play, and even the awards ceremony.

World Cup Golf is everything you need to mimic the real thing. Packed with features that you don't normally see in a Golf game, this one stands out like a sore thumb. Accurate landscapes of courses and well-digitized voices guide you through the game. The access time is a bit on the slow side, but this beats watching golf games on those lazy Saturdays.

World Cup Golf has everything but the wind. It is jammed with all of the features that anyone itching to get out onto the golf course after a long winter's hiatus will need. A digitized voice will guide you through the game. The only downside of the game is the slow access time. It will definitely keep those 3DO users eager to try their skills on the course highly entertained.