Golf PRO Contest Gra Symbian

The beauty and serenity of a golf course is always a humbling thing for someone who can appreciate nature (even when it is crafted) and the game of golf, much like those stunning courses can be a peaceful and relaxing thing. Whether you're playing an import copy of Wicked 18 on the Mega Drive, the latest PSP Hot Shots Golf game or a simple S60 game, when golf is done right it can be a wonderful thing. I'm happy to report that the Synergenix-published Golf PRO Contest is one of those wonderful things.

Obviously Golf PRO Contest is not as vast and deep as its console brethren, but the one thing that Golf PRO Contest has (and that they often lack) is great controls. In recent years the emergence of players like Tiger Woods has brought golf back into the main stream with younger audiences in a way perhaps even more profound than mini-golf or Caddysheck ever managed and great games built around golf have become a staple of many development houses. The problem with many of these is that they get so focused on features that they confuse the game of golf with magical clubs and special putting powers that players can unlock and ultimately ruin the simple man against himself dynamic that is the sport of golf.

Golf PRO Contest doesn't do this at all. It's graphics are nice and compare easily with the other offerings out there (if you don't get too close to the trees anyway), but the focus is on the simple zen like perfection of self that is golf. Players can play alone on a single hole, 9 holes, or a full 18 and can also use a single device for hot seat play with up to 4 players. Each player names his golfer and play begins. The first screen gamers will see is the leaderboard followed by an overhead of the hole with the player marked as a yellow dot and the target of your swing as a white X. Pressing left of right will shift the position of the X along a circumference which marks the edge of your range. Pressing up or down will shift your choice of club from your bag and therein change your range for the shot. Wind is clearly displayed on this screen so that you can account for it as are the par score for the hole, the distance to your target and the approximate range of your chosen club. Pressing five will step you into the ground level, "behind the player" view where you actually take the swing and watch it play out (you can jump back to overhead with the right command b*tton at any time). Players then press 5 or left-command to start their swing, again to control its power, and then once more to control its direction. If your timing isn't perfect you may over or under-power a shot and will more likely chip it off into the rough or a water hazard. As the ball lands you will be shifted to its location to watch it bounce and roll to a stop.

The ball physics seem to be correct with shots from the rough being harder and wind affecting bounce and roll of the ball. Putting is also very nicely done with a cool 3D overlay that drops into the ground level view and animates to show you the tilt of the ground. In this way I think Golf PRO Contest surpasses the golf accuracy of offerings like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 where putting feels more like a 2D affair instead of a clearly 3D one. In essence players are given a visual system to interpret putting (as in the real game) instead of a series of meaningless, incomprehensible numbers referring to some geometrical concepts of tilt and yaw that no player could realistically use to putt. The only place where the N-Gage's Tiger Woods would beat Golf PRO Contest in putting is the former's automatic putt-in for close shots which saves players from excruciating 7-over-par holes where they just keep putting past the hole at close range. In reality though, golf has such frustrations and their removal is a simplification of the golf experience for easier digestion by the masses.

All in all, Golf PRO Contest is an excellent golf game for Series 60 gamers and golf fans, which while it only offers one 18-hole golf course for play and no computer opponents still offers a significant golf experience that is very well suited to casual cell phone play with its quick in and out design. I highly recommend it if you like the sport.

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