Golf Superstars 2008

Java

Golf Superstars 2008
Gamevil

There are some things it's almost impossible to make 'cute'. Mass murder, for instance, would be tricky, though that's not to say no-one will ever try. The Japanese, for instance, have a track record of sanitising somewhat scandalous activities, such as making video games about picking up school boys and... well, do I really need to come up with another example?

There's certainly a Far Eastern flavour to Korean developer Gamevil's spin on golf – the game's cartoon characters wouldn't look out of place in a commercial anime series, with Golf Superstars's father figure, Gary, looking like a genetic fusion between a 12-year-old boy and a gorilla, mouth agape whether happy or sad.

That said, there's only so much spin any developer can put on one of the world's most popular games, and in all the important areas, Golf Superstars plays out much like any golf sim in the last five or so years has. Anyone looking for a simple way to swing their clubs on their mobile will be able to enjoy a Ronseal moment here - to all intents and purposes, Golf Superstars does exactly what it says on the tin.

That might actually be the game's Achilles's heel; the fact that, despite its angelic looks, there isn't anything more to this than thwacking the ball towards the green, hole after hole. Just what else could a golfing game offer, you might ask, which is certainly a valid question. But there's no doubt that something about Gamevil's package feels a little soulless, despite the fact that it ticks all of the obvious boxes.

For instance, you can pick from three characters - all of which have their own particular traits to begin with. The most likely choice for those who are a little green on the green is Cody, who is "eager" and has the most level and average qualities of the three characters on offer. Next up is his sister Casey, who is apparently a little more "diligent" but in practice actually just offers a little more control.

Perhaps the most challenging of the three is the aforementioned father - Gary - who, apart from looking like 'wolf-boy', focuses on pure power rather than any kind of deft touch, and is designed for players who are bold enough to believe they can win.

Indeed, Gary's motivation for taking part in the game's golf tournaments is to pay for his kid's education; a valiant back-story if ever there was one, but it doesn't much change the nature of play. For all three players, there are two main stages involved in making the hole. First, you have to make the green.

Doing so is a matter of setting up your aim – wind direction and so forth plays a part here – and making sure you don't under or overdo the power, which involves hitting the soft-key twice; once as the power gauge flies towards the right, and once again as it heads back towards the target zone for accuracy. Judge these factors right and it's easy enough to make a hole at least on par – problems only arise when one swing goes astray.

Miss the fairway and hit the rough (or worse) and delays are inevitable, as managing to get a worthwhile distance away from said trouble spots proves more difficult than it appears – shots from the rough initially behave normally, but then suddenly and almost randomly drop to the ground again just metres into their flight-path.

Once you get onto the green, however, things become a little more straightforward, with a handy guide showing the slope of the ground and the path the ball will take with the default club and angle. It's then up to you to alter your approach accordingly, judging the angle and the power (with the ideal strength now handily marked in the gauge) to sink the putt.

And that's the long and short of it. With six holes available per tournament, the natural aim is to keep as far under par as possible, topping the table by tournament's end. Fall short and you'll be treated to a rather painful animation of your chosen character seemingly contemplating suicide, but it doesn't take long to get a feel for Golf Superstar's brand of play.

However, even losing out in a tournament isn't without its rewards. The more you play, the more experience points you pick up, allowing you to sharpen up the skills your chosen character lacks by default. That certainly adds a little motivation to keep on playing, but with one hole feeling very much like the last, Golf Superstars is best served up as a quick-fix in the odd spare five minutes.

There's little new or groundbreaking here, but as a casual dip into the world of golf, Golf Superstars is the very definition of perfectly adequate.

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