January 23, 2004

By: Wayne Guest
Website: http://www.1st-in-golf.com

Grolier tees up ‘Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf’

For golfers and gamers wanting to capture all the thrills of flying fairway divots and exploding sand shots from the home course of the world's most celebrated professional golfer, Grolier Interactive presents a 2.0 version of "Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf."

Designed by Friendly Software Corporation, "Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf " offers the first golf simulation engine (SIM), capturing virtually every element of the game, down to the player's swing, style, preferences, strategies and skills. This revolutionary technology, coming to the market after 19 years of research and development, includes 44 options for everything from distance and accuracy to spin and height.

Other golf games use an arcade-style swing meter and rely on manual dexterity to determine shot length and accuracy. In "Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf," players click on a swing icon to activate the simulation engine for shot results that are based on hundreds of factors including playing characteristics, weather and course conditions to quench the thirst of the golfing purist.

New to the 1996 title are a fantasy golf course called Dorset Cliffs, a Lesson Tee with professional tips for improving a player's game and visible ball tracks on replays. With redraw speeds two times faster after shots and between holes than the previous version, users spend more time playing and less time waiting.

"Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf" recreates the serene, plush surroundings of Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., site of 1995 PGA Player of the Year Norman's home course. Pros, amateurs and duffers alike walking onto the graphically rich and precisely replicated South Florida golf course experience the true weather conditions, tee and pin placements and terrain as the "Shark" himself would.

"'Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf ' is the first CD-ROM to bring a real-life golf experience to the user," John McIlvaine, vice president, marketing, Grolier Interactive, said. "State-of-the-art graphics, an innovative simulation technology and the developer's attention to detail make this title the next best alternative to being on the course itself."

All-new Fantasy Course
Users itching to play a different golf course may also choose to tee it up on the Links at Dorset Cliffs, a fantasy course made up of interesting holes with different terrain and challenges reminiscent of the range of courses used for the U.S. and British Opens. Holes depict lighthouses, seaside and mountain views, desert backdrops, waterfalls and island greens.

The Links at Dorset Cliffs takes a page from the most unique golf settings in the world, offering a variety of landscape, weather and ground conditions and a choice of three season changes.

The Lesson Tee
"Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf " comes programmed with a Lesson Tee providing users with suggestions to improve their games onscreen and lower their scores on the real golf course. With nine useful lessons on tap, users are walked through the most common challenges of the game through narration, graphic overlays and the ability to recreate the shot.

Players selecting this option are treated to an interactive "virtual" lesson on how to develop and refine shot planning strategies. The Lesson Tee guides users through various shots and challenges, including tee shot strategies, battling uphill and downhill lies, blasting out of fairway bunkers, honing the short game, developing approach shots or going for broke by landing a par 5 on two shots.

Personalized Player Profiles
Players can control virtually every element of the game by choosing options such as different clubs, selection of ball type, advanced shot planning, preference for male or female player and even the amount of spin on the ball.

After the individual player profile is selected, the golfer walking the challenging Medalist Golf Club and the Links at Dorset Cliffs hits shots exactly like a player with the chosen capabilities.

Players may also choose to play alone, be paired up with Norman or even set up a foursome. Other users seeking a brief escape from the life of a "bogie golfer" may choose to fill the shoes of the world's greatest golfer by playing with the same profile as Norman. Or if the user is feeling up to it, he can challenge Norman himself.

Players have the virtual alter ego of Norman in their hip pocket throughout the round. With helicopter fly-bys accompanied by Norman's commentary, his introduction and multiple view playing options with candid advice from the "Shark," the CD-ROM covers every aspect of Medalist Golf Club and the Links at Dorset Cliffs from tee to green.

"'Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf ' captures the realism of a true golf game like no other CD-ROM on the market," said McIlvaine. "We offer advanced player profiles, golf tips, swing programming capability and, most importantly, the world's greatest golfer."

Cutting Edge 3DR Graphics
Golfers taking a virtual stroll down the Medalist Golf Club fairways are treated to the ultimate in image quality and content of the CD-ROM's signature -- true-to-life 3DR graphics engineered by Intel.

The revolutionary technology captures in detail every aspect of the aesthetically pleasing course layout, down to the bark on the trees, lip of the sand traps, ripples of the water hazards and fringe of the cascading greens. With the attention to detail, players will have the feel of a realistic golfing experience with only a click of the mouse.

Multiple Scoring Options
For the high stakes golfer who thrives on competition, the CD-ROM offers the choice of four all new scoring formats, including stroke play, skins, two-ball or four-ball matches.

Additional Features
A customized utilities screen allowing users to program several default settings for maximum system efficiency, animation, ball and swing speed.

Options for full equipment customization, down to the ball type and club preference.

The option of an arcade-style swing simulation, recreating a realistic golf swing by utilizing variable club-head speeds.

Also see: golf equipment reviews.

Author Notes:

Wayne Guest contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.1st-in-golf.com.  A source of information on golf equipment, golf manufacturers, supplies, tips and more.