Links LS 2000

Growing accustomed to Links LS 2000's control scheme couldn't be easier. Links LS 2000 offers four different swing methods: the new PowerStroke swing, where you actually move the mouse left and right to denote backswing and downswing; the traditional two-click swing; a three-click swing; and a new Easy swing, where striking the ball is as simple as aiming and pressing the mouse button. Furthermore, Links LS 2000 includes many diverse training modes, such as the new "Links Lessons," that ease novice PC golfers into the interface, options, and controls.

With five brand-new courses, including the classic St. Andrews Old Course, as well as the ability to import any of the over 25 Links LS add-on courses, Links LS 2000 should occupy space on players' hard disks for many months. Additionally, players can hop on Microsoft's online gaming service, the MSN Gaming Zone, and complete against other online golfers. Once again, the proven Links LS gameplay doesn't disappoint with 35 different play styles, including stroke play, skins game, and a new wolf challenge mode. --Doug Radcliffe

Amazon.com Product Description
Microsoft Links LS 2000 is the newest edition of the all-time bestselling golf simulation. More than seventeen years of passion and precision have evolved into LS 2000--the most realistic golf experience possible on the PC.

The ball physics of Links LS are so accurate, you can adjust your stance, club-face angle, and swing plane to set up a high-arching wedge shot that will actually back up on the green, just as it would on a real course! Links LS immerses you in a tournament environment with galleries of thousands to cheer your best shots.

Links LS supports more than twenty-five of the world's greatest championship and resort courses (sold separately). New courses are re-created regularly to extend your desktop golf experience. Links LS includes multimedia tours of St Andrews, Covered Bridge, Hapuna, and Mauna Kea. In-depth multimedia interviews get you acquainted with the legend himself--Arnold Palmer.

Being an avid fan of the LS series, I can say that LS 2000 is, by a slim margin, the best of the series. I was pleased to find that it is an improvement (albeit very small) over Links LS 99 -something I CAN'T claim about its sequels, Links 2001 or Links 2003: Both of these installments had many changes made...and the changes weren't good ones, either. In a nutshell, ever since Microsoft bought out Access Software in 2000, the Links series has gone downhill. Microsoft, like most software companies, has no understanding of the addage 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' The numerous tweaks in Links 2001 and 2003 brought more graphical 3D rendering and better depth perception as well as increased the detail of foliage on the golf course. Most of the good changes were graphical improvements, but the graphics in those two games ALSO look more 'cartoonish' than LS's graphics. Almost all other tweaks have been de-improvements: Worse physics, very inferior swing meter, horrible real time swing, no Virtual Tournament (offline), and a host of other inferior tweaks. Microsoft discarded the original and creative ideas of Access Software and adopted, in its place, the inferior ideas and physics of Links LS's competition such as Jack Nicklaus 6 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour. Thank you Microsoft; you people are such geniuses.

If you are a casual PC golfer who enjoys getting a quick round in and likes your golf course to appear as aesthetically-pleasing as possible, as 3D as possible and animated graphics to boot, I would suggest purchasing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003. My main complaint (if not only) with the Tiger Woods game is that it looks and plays like video arcade game or something more fitting for the Playstation than for the PC. On its own merits it's a very good game filled with many cool features, very good animated graphics (albeit a 'cartoony' graphics engine), decent physics and a very good real-time swing. If EA Sports software programmers had the rocket scientist mind-sets of Links LS developers and tried to make Tiger Woods as die-hard realistic as possible (especially graphics and physics-wise) I would jump on the Tiger Woods bandwagon. As it is, the Tiger Woods series is still a great game and will win over millions of arcade-minded fans but for the rocket scientist-minded golf connoisseurs of utmost realism -such as I- Links LS 2000 is the only golf game to own. The graphics of LS 2000 -though not as 3D or 'animated' (e.g., trees swaying, water rippling) is photorealistic, not 'cartoony,' and still -4 years after its release- very good. The courses are virtually indestinguishable from their real life counterparts whereas in Tiger Woods you have no idea what course you're golfing: they all look similar and certainly bear no resemblance to their real life counterparts. Gameplay is what makes the game and LS's physics are much more realistic than Tiger Wood's. And there are far more options for customizing shots and customizing the actual gameplay in LS than Tiger Woods. As far as I'm concerned, LS 2000 is still by far the best PC golf game ever, as far as extreme realism is concerned. My only complaint is that in Links LS 99 I could set my display to 1600x1200 resolution in 32 bit (16.7 million colors). In LS 2000 the 1600x1200 resolution is only available in 16 bit (65,000) colors. Why, I have no idea. Not a big deal, but it makes a little difference. Still, an excellent game and I even find the new sound script (Craig Bolerjack and Dave Feherty's comments) pretty funny.

If you want the hardest-core golf sim with great graphics, sound, gameplay, and options, then take it from me -an avid PC golfer who has been playing computer golf since the mid '80s and has sampled virtually every golf game past and present: Opt for Links LS 2000 over its inferior sequels and the new Tiger Woods series.


Back To 2000   November 17, 2000
 3 out of 6 found this review helpful

Graphcs are great. PERIOD. Sound set up is almost impossible to coordinate with selected motions. None of my 25 add-on courses purchased over the life of previous versions work on this engine. I've taken it off my machine and reinstalled Links 2000. Now I'm useing the good one.


Great golf-sim, period   November 13, 2000
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I've played with all the Links versions, starting with Access Links 386... when was that again? This is just a great golf simulation and it keeps getting better. You got it all, from the beginner to the expert gamer. The game is incredably realistic, with backspin, punch and flop shots (yes, I do play golf for real) and tournament style options. It is actually MUCH better than the 2001-version, which was a disappointment in speed (I've a PIII-700 with lots of everything!) and compatability (with the older versions). Importing my old courses was a snap, as is using the game over the Internet. Enjoy!