Links 386 Pro

Links 386 Pro
Developer(s) Access Software
Platform(s) MS-DOS, Macintosh, FM Towns, PC-98
Release
Genre(s) Sports

Links 386 Pro is a golf simulation sports game for MS-DOS released in 1992, part of the Links series. The Macintosh version, Links Pro, was released in 1993. Microsoft Golf 1.0-3.0 is a version of Links 386 Pro designed to run directly under Microsoft Windows.[1]

It was developed by Access Software as the follow-up to Links: The Challenge of Golf.

Gameplay

Players select a male or female character and their clothing.[2] They select the level of play (beginner, amateur, and pro) and tee position.[1] The player can control character direction and foot position,[3] and the shot is controlled by a swing meter, held to the top for power and released and clicked again as it swings back to the bottom for direction - early will hook and late will slice.[4] Players can select from multiple views, split the screen, and record shots.[2][4] Shots can be repeated (a mulligan) and short putts taken (a gimme).[4]

In 1994, the Computer Sports Network ran the Links Tour, an online tournament of 250 players accessible via modem.[5]

Technical features

The game ran relatively quickly because it was written in assembly code,[6] though courses could take several seconds to be drawn on less powerful systems.[1] The courses were drawn piece by piece, beginning with the backdrop, then the buildings, then the plants.[4] It was considered to use a large amount of memory for the time, running best on 8Mb.[2] On the Mac, it ran best on a Power Mac[2] and on the PC at least a 386 was required.[1] Some features could be turned off to increase the running speed.[4]

The game featured digitised images of the courses, coming with Harbour Town and with Banff Springs available, and Torrey Pines in Microsoft Golf, as well as lower resolution courses from the earlier version.[1][7]

The game featured Super VGA graphics, one of the first games to do so.[1] It featured sound for the first time in the series, such as birds, frogs, comments from the golfers, and applause.[2][8][3] On the Mac, voice control of the game was available.[2]

Reception

The graphics were much praised, described as "almost photo-realistic".[2] Some players complained that achieving a low scoring round was too easy.[3] Computer Gaming World in 1992 stated "the final word in golf—for now, at least—is Links 386 Pro, praising the game's "stunning" Super VGA graphics and "dream come true" gameplay. The magazine predicted that "it is quite likely that the only thing to ever beat this game will be yet another version of Links.[3]

In 1993 the game received a Codie award from the Software Publishing Association for Best Sports Game,[9] and Computer Gaming World named it the Overall Game of the Year, stating that doing so was "pretty obvious" given how long Links 386 Pro had been at the top of the magazine's Top 100 Games list.[10] In 1994, it was reported that "Links 386 Pro easily leads the market for golf games".[5]

In 2014, PC PowerPlay listed Links 386 Pro among the 100 most influential PC games, saying it was "the perfect way to demonstrate all 40MHz worth of computing power in one’s brand new PC."[11]

In 1994, PC Gamer US named Links 386 Pro the 6th best computer game ever. The editors called it "one of the most polished and professional games ever produced".[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Trivette, Donald (September 28, 1993). "The Desktop Athlete". PC Mag.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kinne, Richard (August 22, 1994). "Links Pro Hits a Hole in One". TidBITS.
  3. 1 2 3 4 McDonald, T. Liam (November 1992). "Links 386 Pro from Access". Computer Gaming World. p. 72. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Mann, Richard (January 1993). "Links 386 Pro.". Compute!.
  5. 1 2 Schwabach, Bob (November 1, 1994). "Golfers don't need to depend on the weather to hit the links". The Milwaukee Journal.
  6. ↑ Cawkell, Tony. "Home and Consumer Applications". The Multimedia Handbook. p. 323.
  7. ↑ "Links: Master List of Available Courses". Microsoft.com.
  8. ↑ Cohen, Julie (December 22, 1992). "Holiday software". PC Mag.
  9. ↑ "Awards - Thy Name Is Controversy". Computer Gaming World. May 1993. p. 146. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  10. ↑ "Computer Gaming World's Game of the Year Awards". Computer Gaming World. October 1993. pp. 70–74. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  11. ↑ Gillooly, John (October 20, 2014). "The 100 most influential PC games OF ALL TIME". PC PowerPlay.
  12. ↑ Staff (August 1994). "PC Gamer Top 40: The Best Games of All Time". PC Gamer US (3): 32–42.
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