Sensible Golf

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Sensible Golf

Developer(s)	Software
Publisher(s)	Virgin Interactive
Designer(s)	Jon Hare
Release date(s)	1995
Genre(s)	Sports game
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Platform(s)	Amiga, Windows
Media	3½ inch Floppy
Input	Mouse

Sensible Golf was a 2D golf game released by Sensible Software in 1994 for the Amiga.

The game featured the same pin-like characters that had previously been used with great success in Sensible Soccer and Cannon Fodder, although upon release it was deemed a commercial failure and received lacklustre reviews. Part of the problem was because it had been designed as an arcade game rather than a serious golfing simulation, which many critics felt reduced its overall longevity. Level designs were often purposely unrealistic, with small areas of fairway submerged in water.

Although it featured four difficulty levels and a full career mode which could be played out over 72 holes and 25 separate courses, many of these courses were very similar, and some thought that the end product felt more like a shareware release than a full price game. The 2D nature of the game also made it extremely difficult to putt a ball on the green and this often became more a matter of luck than skill, not helped by the greens being more hilly than their real-life counterparts.

Sensible Golf was awarded the company's lowest ever score by Amiga Power of 66% and marked a sharp decline in the fortune of Sensible Software, which was regarded as being one of the most innovative and successful software houses in the United Kingdom during the early 1990s. It was to be their last commercial Amiga release, with only Sensible Train Spotting to follow.

The theme tune for Sensible Golf was written by the lead game designer, Jon Hare.