For years, friends of mine have been trying to get me to become involved in multiplayer online role playing games like World of Warcraft and Everquest.

For those of you who have been out of the loop on this sort of thing, these games are called MMORPGs, or Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. In them, you assume the personna of a fantasy archetype such as a elf or dwarf and battle your way through an online fantasy world. What makes it massively multiplayer is that tens of thousands of others are simultaneously doing the same thing. The world you are playing the game in is thus at least partially populated by

Now, I was a serious Dungeons and Dragons player in my youth. But I have never really been tempted by these online games.

But now a company called Synet Entertainment is offering a massively multiplayer golf role playing game called Shot-Online. In it, your computer alter-ego can practice, play competitive rounds of golf in both individual and team formats and chat with other participants. There are eight courses in the imaginary world, and palyers can earn points to buy and upgrade their virtual equipment.

Sounds fascinating. And there are apparently both free and premium (pay) versions.

I love computer golf. I have a game for my GameBoy, a couple for my N64 (yes, I know I’m behind there—but its still fun) and always have the latest for my desktop computer.

Now, you can play Tiger Woods Tour 2006 on your cell phone. It looks like fun.

I did some Christmas shopping this weekend, and like many, stared in amazement at the in-store demos of the new Xbox 360. All of the ones I saw were running demos of the Call of Duty World War II first person shooter game, but while I liked it, that alone wasn’t going to be enough to get me to buy one.

Then I did a little surfing around the web and came across the upcoming Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 for the Xbox 360.

And after looking at the screenshots, all I can say is “holy cow.”

There are more screenshots here.

Do you have a Play Station Portable yet? Me neither.

But if you’re one of the lucky few, you might find this review of the PSP golf game “Everybody’s Golf” interesting.

Sid Meier’s SimGolf (Jewel Case)
Grade: B+
Teachers’ Comments:  A fun game, even if you’re not a computer game geek.

Sid Meier’s SimGolf is a lot of fun. It’s not so much a golf game, as it is a business simulation.

You start the game with a small plot of land and a pool of money. Using your best instincts as a golf course designer, you then lay out a course (you may only have the cash for three holes at first), add some amenities and wait for golfers to show up.

As more players patronize your course, your income increases, and you have more to sink into the development of your course. You can buy more land, add food stands, hotels, clubhouses, and practice facilities, and of course, build more holes. You also have to hire staff to maintain the grounds, feed hungry and thirsty golfers, and generally make your patrons’ experiences enjoyable. If you are successful, your little golf empire continues to grow.