British Open Championship Golf is one of the better golf simulations around, particularly for when it was made. As opposed to dull, lifeless courses (such as those in Microsoft Golf), the courses have other people on them (including spectators in tournaments). The golfer and caddy both show reactions to your shots (and if you play as badly as me, the golfer nearly cries). As well, instead of providing a plethora of different courses, British Open Championship Golf only provides two – The Old Course at St.
Andrews and the Royal Troon. However, both are emulated accurately, beautifully but neither is easy! It’s rare to find a golf game (particularly of this vintage), which can evoke such an atmosphere.
The graphics are probably beginning to age now, but great for when it was made. The animations of the caddy and golfer are great. The courses are rendered incredibly well – though in a couple of cases it’s a shame that the pavilions and such aren’t quite rendered as well as the course itself. The course itself shows every nook and cranny – the famous “road whole bunker” on Hole 17 looks near as terrifying as in real life.
Control – is one element, which I thought which lets the game down. Pin placement without
using the overhead view is tricky and finicky, and timing for shots is near impossible. The little ‘swing meter’ – like the ones found in most games of the era speeds up when your swing is at its highest and lowest points making it difficult to judge distance and to swing accurately without slicing or hooking the shot
Music is great, sounds of the shots sound realistic but the sounds of the crowd and the golfer really add to the game. The crowd cheers for good shots, and start booing and leering you if you have a couple of shockers in a row. In tournament mode, they really add to the game.
It’s a well-made game. I’ve noticed one major bug– if you try to choose an amateur player (for example one you create sharing your own name), it dies. To get it working, make sure that you edit the directory entries in the BOCG.INI file to reflect where you installed the game. And don’t expect it to be quite as easy as some golf games – the courses are difficult, hence the game is difficult but very interesting. It’s worth downloading.
