For the last few years, it seems that I have been previewing and reviewing the same Links game every fall, and giving readers pretty much the same advice. It remains the leading golf simulation in terms of graphic beauty, course selection and detail, I would say, almost by rote. But if you have last year's model, there's little sense getting this year's. In short, the Links engine has gotten familiar and conservative while a host of other golf franchises have tried actively to spice it up a bit. EA's PGA Tour and Tiger Woods series were about as pretty and precise as Links, but at least they played around with color commentary and interesting camera angles. Sierra's golf series experimented with “kinetic” swing models that allowed you to use mouse movements to simulate swings. The venerable Jack Nicklaus gold games have not had much of a profile lately, but that series always stood out for its course designer.

Finally, with Links 2001, we see the franchise's new owner, Microsoft, breathe at least a bit of new life into the old marquee brand. A new graphics engine, improved ball physics, new courses and PGA players as well as the long-awaited course designer for the series are among the major changes players can expect.

Visually, the designers are aiming toward a more TV-like look to the gameplay, with much more varied terrain types on offer. The land bridges and red rock cliff walls of the Mesa Rosa gold course, for instance, are truly impressive. Six courses will come packed in, including the old standy St. Andrews as well as Aviara, Princeville, Chateau Whistle, and Westfields. The scenes are more detailed and animated than every before. Birds fly over, for instance, and most of the on-screen objects have been anti-aliased so they blend together without that superimposed look. In fact, I was struck first by the integration of the well-animated golfers into the scene – very convincing. In addition to the ever-present endorser of the Links series, Arnold Palmer, we now get female pro Annika Sorenstam and young PGA comer Setgio Garcia. And while Links does not go the color commentary route, we do get a lot of vocal and visual golfer reactions to their swings.