Review: Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour - daytrum

Publisher: Nintendo

Ages: seven and up.

Parental Advisory:
None

Mario has always been known for his ability to run a platform gauntlet, but did you know that he is also a great golfer? Nintendo's Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour deftly blends a realistic golf simulation with Nintendo characters and crazy hazards and courses and is a great family game.

At its core, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour is a traditional computer-based golf game. It supports one-player action and features cooperative and competitive multi-player action. There's match and skins play modes, and a doubles mode that lets two players alternating swings at the ball. As one would expect, the game features the beloved Nintendo characters that include Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Peach, and each has its strengths and weaknesses.

The title serves lots of golf variations that include floating rings, scattered coins, timed games, a slot machine that determines the available clubs and more. And there are entertaining side games and unlockable prizes.

The game recommends clubs and shot trajectory. And as players learn and become comfortable with the game, they can eventually choose clubs; add backspin, topspin, slice and fade to their swings; gauge the wind and read greens. The game offers a fairly traditional power meter to adjust power, topspin and backspin on a swing.

Whimsical additions include "warp pipes"-fairways that cause balls to roll faster than they would on a traditional fairways and aggressive obstacles that are worthy of a Nintendo game. In addition to courses that feel like real-world ones, there are fantasy courses that are a blast to play. The graphics are excellent and serve attractive courses and well-rendered characters.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour offers an excellent, entertaining golf game that appeals to youngsters and grown-ups, which makes it a first rate title for the home. We wholeheartedly recommend this one.

10/16/03 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff

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