SWING AWAY GOLF (PS2)
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Clubbing ain't what it used to be...

By JAMES ANTHONY

It's has always struck this fellow, but in the usually serene game of golf, players get to walk around with lethal weapons within their bags.

Weapons? Well, yes, it's the clubs. They could be extremely nasty if used improperly and that's just what I'm about to do to the all-lip caddy that has been assigned to me in Swing Away Golf.

Talk about a motor-mouth, and one that is full of brilliant ideas - after the fact!
"Everyone makes mistakes." (Be quiet)

"Don't worry." (BE QUIET)

"Could you have hit it a bit stronger?" (Shut up, shut up, shut up!)

Okay, the patience was fraying. Working out the three-click club swing took longer than usual and scores of 12 and 12 on the first two par-fours were enough to get the blood boiling.

Mind you, a double-bogey six was a major improvement, but still let 22 shots to try to claw back in the next 14 holes.

Swing Away Golf is a hugely enjoyable, arcadey look at the game of golf. You can pick from seven characters and then get to hit a ball around some nicely worked polygon-based courses. The grass looks textured enough to tell the diffrence between the rough (bad shot) and the fairway (good shot) and the trees and mountains that line in, or behind, the links are pretty on the eye.

If you have a digital camera you can even take a snap of your face or anything that takes your fancy and have it texture-mapped on to your player's head.

Try matchplay or stroke games, or do a bit of (worthwhile) training and each time you're successful you can unlock new courses and characters.

Despite a shocking start, Swing Away Golf is fairly easy to pick up and once you get the hang of the swing you can settle in for a huge amount of fun - if you can turn your mind and ears off the kitchy 1970s, early '80s-type music.

And, in the story mode, this chap is not quite sure who the script is aimed at, but one could suggest it could be for traveling salesmen. How about these lines from the wide-eyed and shapely playing partner:

"You look strong. I feel a little intimidated. Go easy on me." Hmmmmmmmm, could be golf we're talking about - but I wouldn't lay my house on it.

Anyway, developer's fantasies aside, Swing Away Golf is a massive dose of fun and will be a Playstation 2 hit for all ages.

ORIGINALITY 75%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 85%
PLAYABILITY 85%
ADDICTION 75%
ENJOYMENT 75%