This is a great golf simulation with beautiful graphics, bearing the name of probably the greatest golfer in the world, Aussie Greg Norman. If you're in the market for a golf game and can meet the demanding hardware requirements, you'll want to try this out.

Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf (UCG) is a CD-ROM Windows product. Installation is a snap by running the setup program through Program Manager. You are given a couple of options, the most important of which is the decision on how much hard drive space you want to commit to the program (15 MB or 50 MB). Be forewarned, if you're running UCG on anything less than a Pentium with 16 MB RAM, you're going to have to do everything you can to run this at an acceptable speed. I had to go the 50 MB hard drive installation option, run the game at low scaling (reduced graphic quality) to improve performance, and turn off the player animations. I initially experienced a problem with my screen going black, but the automated technical support line fixed me right up.

An excellent "Player's Guide" comes with the game, including installation instructions, detailed discussion on features, and playing tips.

The course used in UCG is Norman's Medalist Golf Club in Florida, which he helped design. Although Medalist is a very challenging course, it is the only one available in UCG; the potential to add more courses would considerably strengthen this product. UCG allows you to play in either arcade or simulation (sim) mode, and one to four players can play as male pro, female pro, or even as Greg Norman himself. Arcade mode uses the somewhat standard swing power bar requiring a series of mouse clicks; sim mode only requires a single click, and the swing is based on the golfers unique profile. Multiple players can be created, giving each one different strengths and weaknesses and choosing the specific set of clubs to be used. You can even choose from three different ball types (balata, wound surlyn, and solid surlyn).

Playing conditions are customizable and change realistically during the round (e.g., wind speed and direction vary, and temperature changes based on cloud cover and rain). You have control over aim, effort/distance, spin (draw or fade), and height; UCG will let you know if shots are risky (i.e., prone to errors). Poor shots may be replayed as "Mulligans". I was particularly impressed with the sim mode, which reacted like I would expect from an actual round of golf (i.e., seemingly identical shots are never exactly the same). There is a shot menu which provides details for each shot, including the option of a helicopter fly-by for each hole, narrated with tips by Greg Norman. Automatic scoring is accurate and the scorecard graphics are very nice.

Following each shot, UCG must redraw the topography (trees, landscape, etc.) for the specific lie of your golf ball; this takes different amounts of time based on the graphic quality selected (i.e., low to photo-realistic). Expect long load time between shots if you're using a 486 and less than 16 MB RAM, and even longer load times between holes. Grolier has a toll-free number for technical support.

Bottom Line:  If you have the PC-power to handle it, this is a great golf simulation with exceptional graphics. Greg Norman UCG reacts like could be expected in a real-life golfing situation. The ability to customize course conditions, create unique player profiles, and option to play in either arcade or simulation mode are strong features.

System Tested On:  IBM compatible PC (Gateway 2000) with a 80486-DX2 at 66 MHZ; Windows 95; Sound Blaster-compatible soundcard; 8 MB of RAM & 420 MB hard drive; 2x CD-ROM drive; mouse

Minimum System:  486 DX or higher, 33 MHZ or faster; Windows 3.1 or higher (including Windows 95); 8 MB RAM (16 MB preferred); 15 MB hard disk space (50 MB recommended); SVGA monitor and graphics adapter running 64,000 colors; Soundblaster-compatible card and speakers (optional); double-speed CD-ROM drive; MS-Windows-compatible mouse; Video for Windows version 1.1e (supplied with product), MSCDEX version 2.20 or higher (not supplied with product)

Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc., 90 Sherman Turnpike, Danbury, CT 06816; phone (203) 797-3530