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At first glance, this game may appear to be a golf game. But it's really a simple solitaire card game, dressed up with golf-related artwork and terminology to make it more interesting. Because it's a card game, and not really a golf game, you don't need to know anything about golf in order to play.

The game is well made. The artwork is simple, yet warm and appealing. The background is mostly static, but now and then some birds fly across the screen. Once, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a gopher popping out of a hole. The sounds, like the visuals, are simple but appealing. A golf course announcer makes encouraging comments about your play. An audience cheers, or if you don't do too well, says "Awwww." There are also nice sound effects that play when you make a successful move.

You start the game at the clubhouse of a golf course, where you pick an avatar to represent yourself. Next, you go to "Golf Academy" to learn the game. Special features of the game are introduced one at a time, so the game is easy to learn.

The heart of the game is simple. You see an array of cards laid out in front of you on a golf course green. Your goal is to remove as many of the cards as you can. You have a pile of cards that you turn over one at a time. Every time you see a card in the array that is one number higher or one lower than the current card from your pile, you can remove it.

You get extra points if you have a long run of cards where you remove one after the other, in a chain, before having to go to the next card in your pile. There are other ways to get extra points and there are some penalties too, which help to keep things interesting.

In each round, you get a different configuration of cards. Some of the cards are face up and some face down, so the game play consists of a combination of skill and luck. As you meet certain goals, you will gain access to more golf courses.

I played the demo version of this game in order to write this review (to compete for a slot on a Helium Marketplace publisher's review site). The demo gave me one hour of free play. I enjoyed playing the game, and I was sorry when the one-hour demo came to an end. I felt that I was getting better as I went along, and that made me want to play more.

However, I rarely spend money on games. In fact, the first time I ever bought a downloadable computer game was while doing one of these reviews! Since I'm so used to playing free games, it's hard for me to reach for my credit card. But for someone who likes to buy games, and who wants one that nicely-made, easy to learn, and easy to play, I can recommend this. For other cheapskates like myself, I recommend spending an hour with the free demo! Rating: 4/5

Learn more about this author, May Monten.
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