Golf simulations have always been unconvincing, bearing little resemblance to the real thing and, unfortunately, this version is no exception.

With the computer as your caddie and scorer, you and a partner can tee off from any of the eighteen holes provided. These are all accurate reproductions of the Old Course at St. Andrews - a novel touch which adds an extra dimension to the game.

At each hole, the computer presents you with a bird's-eye view of the fairway, rough, bunkers and green. Then you have to select which of the fourteen woods and irons to use. If hit at 100% power, the ball travels distances of up to 280 yards. The direction of the ball's flight is controlled by an angle of the player's choice. After all the instructions have been entered, a small dot - your ball - moves across the screen and stops.

When the green is reached the view changes to a close-up showing the ball, flag and hole. Here the putter is automatically selected for you. I don't suppose you'd want a driver or a mashie niblick though, would you?

Being a reproduction of a real golf course, even pars are hard to achieve. But with practice, decent scores for a round are possible. A little luck might get you a birdie or even an albatross. Don't expect to get a hole-in-one.

Golf isn't a game to give you a heart-attack from excitement and neither is this simulation. Weak graphics and non-existent sound make it a disappointing buy for such an advanced machine as the Commodore 64. Back to the clubhouse, Kerian.