Producer: US Gold
Retail Price: £9.95
Author: Bruce and Roger Carver

Leader Board provides every budding Severino Banestaros with the opportunity to take a golf ball for a walk, without getting rained on, catching hypothermia, or even being footsore. As with the real game, the objective is to hit a ball around a golf course in as few shots as possible.

Between one and four 18-hole rounds can be played on four different courses. When more than one course is played, they can be undertaken in any order. Alternatively, the same course can be played, four times in succession. Each course is divided into a tee, a long fairway, and the green - with the hole near its centre. At each hole the golfer's view is given, looking down the fairway to the distant green and flag.

There are three degrees of difficulty for the budding golfer to choose from. At novice level the ball can only be hit straight; at amateur level, hook and slice are introduced; and when professional status is reached, allowance must be made for a wind factor if the bail is not to drift off course.

Fourteen different clubs can be used - all hit the ball over different distances and in different ways. Woods allow the ball to be hit with greater power, essential when just starting from the tee, whilst Irons allow greater control over the medium length shots. Over shorter distances a Pitching Wedge and a Putter are used. The club must be chosen with regard to the distance to the hole, as indicated on the right hand side of the screen - this 'ball to hole' distance is revised as each shot is successfully played.

Shots are aimed using a cursor, which appears several 'yards' in front of the golfer. Swinging the club requires careful timing and concentration if the ball is to be hit the right distance and not hooked or sliced. Power for each stroke is controllable, with the level of power used shown on the Power Snap indicator on the screen's left hand side. When a shot is hit the ball can be seen curving through the air, and hopefully towards the hole. At the Professional level, tee-off and iron shots are affected by the wind, and allowance must be made if the ball is not to drift away from the hole. To aid the golfer's aim further, an indicator shows the wind's direction and strength (the stronger it is the taller the indicator).

When the ball is on the green, and within 64 feet of the hole, the flag is automatically removed, and the putter selected - no other club can be used while on the green. Unlike other shots, putts travel along the ground and are greatly affected by the incline of greens, which may slope up and downhill, and to the left or right. This must be taken into account when aiming the shot and selecting the level of power. The degree and direction of the slope are shown on the right hand side of the screen.

A score indicator shows which player is in action, how many strokes they have taken at the current hole, and their cumulative score for the round. A par value indicates the number of strokes a good player should take to complete the hole. Each holes par is combined to give a par value for the whole course. A player's score can be equal to (E), above (+), or below (-) this par.

Hazards are encountered on each round, and affect the golfer's score if played incorrectly. Many of the greens and fairways are close to water, or contain other hazards such as bunkers and trees. Should the ball land in any of these, the shot must be replayed from its previous starting point. If the ball is not kept on the course, and hit out of bounds, the golfer is similarly penalised. With every shot that has to be re-taken, a stroke is added to the offending player's score.

COMMENTS

Control keys: joystick only
Joystick: Interface 2, Kempston
Use of colour: Plenty of greenery, simple.
Graphics: Nicely animated golfer, lacking in other respects
Sound: Minimal spot FX
Skill levels: Three
Screens: Four 18-hole courses

Okay, a couple of months ago I believed that anything to do with golf sims would be tedious - this month sees me eating my words... Leader Board is really something special! The gameplay is initially slow and unaddictive, but stick with it and Leader Board becomes incredibly compulsive. The graphics are naff, your golfer moves well but the fairway is drab and badly coloured. The sound effects are minimal, but they're not noticeable by their absence. I can't imagine that this will appeal to everyone, but I'm certainly hooked - and I will be for some time to come.
BEN

The graphics are the main drawing point of games like this. And even though the courses take quite a while to draw out, I think it's worth it in the long run. The stroke indicator and speed gauge are very nice to begin with - but like most calculating computer games, once you've got the angles right you only need to use one setting. This is good fun if you play a decent opponent, but solo playing tends to get very boring. As with Tenth Frame, Leader Board hasn't really hit it off with the Spectrum, but it is a fascinating (if a little easy) golf simulation.
PAUL

I suppose everyone else has already said it, but here goes anyway, I think that golf games are a pretty boring end of the market. Having said that, Leader Board, while not being the most original game out, is actually quite playable. The graphics are very Hobbit-esque, in the way in which they take ages to build up, but the finished result is well worth the effort. I found the Hook and Slice hard to control - especially on the higher levels, as it seemed to influence the ball more. There are only a few golf games on the Spectrum, but this one is just about the best.
MIKE

OLDIES UNLIMITED!

What? Spent all your Christmas money already? Well, never fear, the golden oldie himself, PHIL KING, takes you on a tour of the latest budget-price rereleases...

Leader Board
Producer: Kixx
Price: £2.99
Original Rating: 80%

After several disappointing attempts at golf simulations, Leader Board's arrival April 1987 was all the more impressive. Undoubtedly the best of the genre, one of its main assets is the effective first-person, 3-D perspective view of each hole, with a new view created from wherever the ball lands. The game also contains four different courses which can be played in any order by up to four players. One of three skill levels can be selected for each player, allowing beginners to compete with experts.

Each player has fourteen clubs at his disposal, ranging from the hard-hitting woods to the essential putter. After selecting the appropriate club, the shot is aimed simply by placing the cursor in the desired direction. The key to the game is in the hitting of the ball, however. You start your swing by pressing fire, a power meter then rises until you press fire again to set the correct percentage. A second, 'snap' meter then starts rising, this sets whether the ball is hit straight, hooked or sliced, fire must be pressed quickly and accurately to get the right one. (On Novice level balls are automatically hit straight). The ball can also be sent off course by the wind on the professional skill level. If the ball lands in the water, a stroke is forfeited.

After almost two years Leader Board is still the top golf sim and a great buy at the new low price, although hardened golf fans might be more interested in the Leader Board Par 3 (93% Issue 57) compilation of Leader Board, Leader Board Tournament and World Class Leaderboard.

US Gold
£8.95

Fore! There are some who say that golf is a boring game. And of course they're right. Jimmy Tarbuck has a lot to answer for. But if you're feeling a little under par, what better to cheer you up than a golf sim for the Speccy. And if we're talking golf sims, were really talking Leader Board. On the Commie (spit) and the Atari ST, it's already carried off more critical plaudits than Woody Allen. Now Speccy owners can see what all the fuss is about.

In fact, I've spent many rapturous hours carving away at Leader Board on my (gasp) Commodore 64 (You're fired! Ed), and to be honest I dreaded the Speccy conversion. It didn't seem possible that US Gold could fit in all that gameplay - the four different 18-hole courses, the three (very) different skill levels, the various methods of play. But, mash my niblicks, they have.

Just look at the simplicity and clarity of the screen display. No bushes or bunkers clogging up the memory - just a vast expanse of water! Saves on code, no doubt, though you're liable to lose the odd ball (or twenty). As you go through the four Leader Board courses, the islands get smaller and smaller and trickier and trickier, and you'll need pinpoint accuracy even on the novice level.

Teeing off is fairly easy, but keep your eye on the indicator on the left. Start the swing by pressing down fire, and set the power by releasing the fire button during the backswing. Time it just right and you'll hit it with full force. Each club hits the ball up to a certain distance, so if your timing's up to scratch and you pick the right club you'll usually get down to the green in two. Putting's harder, though. The borrow (slope to you) on the green is clearly marked, but you may find the power control difficult to handle, especially on the shorter shots.

Succeed as a novice and it's onto the Amateur level, where the horrors of hook and slice complicate matters a lot. Now, after setting the power, you must quickly press the button again to set the "snap". Snapping just as the club hits the ball will make it go straight, but be slightly early or late and the ball will go haring off to the left or right.

Later still you can graduate to Professional, where you now have wind to cope with (have you seen a doctor about that, madam?) Watch the wind indicator on the right of the screen - as with hook and slice you can sometimes use it to your advantage. Needless to say, Course 4 on the Professional level should be tried only by the most skilled or the deranged.

Leader Board is about as boffo a golf sim as you could ever wish for on the Spectrum. Even if you don't know your mashie from your niblick and you think a caddie's something to warm tea with (Isn't it? Ed) it's an essential purchase. As for me, I'll meet you at the 19th hole. Large G and T, barman...!

BARGAIN BASEMENT

Yes it's Marcus Berkmann again, rootling around in the lucky dip for all the latest cheapoid games. And what did he pull out? A bunch of bargains no less!

Kixx
£1.99
Reviewer: Marcus Berkmann

Ah, but some cheapies are the business, however elderly. Leaderboard is of course the golf simulation, and months after its first appearance it's still a cracker. The secret is its simplicity it's easy to play, so that anyone with enough patience to read the instructions can get going without delay, but very tricky to master, especially once hook, slice and wind (parp) have been added into the equation. Detailed though the instructions are, this cheapie version does not include the valuable course maps that were featured in the full price deluxe thingy, which is a pity, but then you can't expect everything for two quid. No doubt someone's trying to better this on the 16-bit gizmos as we speak, but I can't see that anyone will ever come close to it on the Spectrum. Now where are my silly trousers? Fore! (I thought you gave it eight. Ed).

Label: US Gold
Author: Access
Price: £8.95
Joystick: various
Memory: 48K/128K
Reviewer: John Gilbert

The golf course is water logged, but that's cool because most of the holes in this simulation are played across water.

There are four courses, similar in structure but different in difficulty level, a maximum four players can putt, birdie and generally make fools of themselves Each course is in perspective 3D with the player - looking like a British Rail guard, peaked cap and all - at the bottom of the screen swinging a club.

Before you can tee off at the first hole you've got to declare your ability. Novice play takes place in a vacuum. There's no wind, the ball is not hooked so that it curves across the ground, and it's not sliced so that it falls short on the green or in the water. At Amateur level hooking and slice come into effect, but there's still no wind.

Professional level, and the full blown simulation takes off - along with your ball. You'll have to compensate for wind strength and direction, have perfect judgement in placing the ball on the green and be comfortable with the putter club, otherwise your putts'll be short or skim the rim of the hole and bounce out.

You can choose to play 18, 36, 54 or 72 holes, but your decision affects the order in which you can play the four courses. If you select more than 18 holes - an average sized course by any allowance - you can play them in any order by typing in 2 3 1 4, 4 1 2 3 et al, when asked. To play the same course four times just repeat its number on that option. 3 3 3 3.

The bad news is the 3D views of each fairway and hole are drawn in approx 10 seconds, which makes the game interminably lengthy. The good news is they could be worth the wait. They're realistic in a blocky sort of way and the scene created by the ball gliding through the air is reminiscent of those lazy days of autumn when the sunlight steams through the trees and you're indoors watching the telly golf (leave it out - Ed).

When the ball lands the scene's viewpoint changes and, hopefully, you get a nearview of the hole - with cardboard stiff flag. If you land in the water, and there's a lot of it, you take the shot again, but also take a penalty.

Each player has a selection of 14 clubs; three woods, nine irons, a Pitching Wedge and a Putter. The woods send the ball the furthest, an average 271 feet for a one or 234 for a five wood. Irons are for shorter distances A two iron, for instance can whack a ball between 100 and 210 feet.

The Pitching Wedge lifts the ball off the ground, but again is for short distances. It's put to good use when you need close control of the ball in strong wind conditions or when you want to hook the ball at a fairly exact angle. If you're a golf fanatic, and know the effects each club has on the ball, you'll appreciate the realism which the authors have put into this game.

Club swings are controlled by the power snap facility which builds up force and direction in the same way as when you're bowling in US Gold's Tenth Frame. When you are ready to make a shot the general power snap indicator appears on the screen. Press the Fire button on the joystick and the bar chart builds to maximum power. Release the button to stop the build up and the indicator starts moving from max hook, where the ball goes left, to max slice where it goes right. Press the Fire button again when you're satisfied with the ball angle.

Once you've played the distance and are on the green, near the hole, the computer acts as auto caddy and gives you a Putter. The Snap indicator is, of course, different here as there's no need for hook slice. Just tap the ball, but again be careful because the power measurement is on a different scale. Even if the bar thrusts through half the chart the ball will only travel a few feet.

I score leader board as a straight five under par, and it's heading for a course record where simulations are concerned. It's the best golf simulation yet. It may not be the fastest game on the circuit but it's the most enthralling.

Label: Kixx
Author: US Gold
Price: £2.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

I always thought that there could be nothing more boring than a golf simulation (unless it's a cricket simulation), but Leaderboard changed my mind. This budget re-release should alter your attitude to the sport of... er, golf players.

The 3D perspective graphics are spectacularly good, and appear surprisingly fast for the Spectrum. OK, colours are limited to green grass and blue water, but what more do you need? There's a considerable amount of skill involved in choosing the correct club, timing your swing with one eye on the power meter, and allowing for the crosswind ho animation of the flying ball is really smooth, and overall the sense of realism is intense.

Up to four players can compete, and there are three available skill levels. You can play from 18 to 72 holes, and once your get onto the green you get a different display for the final putt to the hole.

The computer keeps score and takes account of such disasters as balls falling the water (oo-er). In fact, the only disappointment about the game is the lack of a computer opponent. Still, an ideal multi-player game which will get under your skin.

Amstrad, £9.99cs, £14.99dk
C64, £9.99cs, £14.99dk
Spectrum, £8.99cs
Atari ST, £19.99dk

The only golf simulator worth considering on the 8-bit machines. It's been released in several forms: Leaderboard - the original, Tournament Leaderboard - four new courses to play, World Class Leaderboard - an enhanced version with trees and bunkers, and most recently a version containing several classic world courses.

The realism of the game is the tuning and rhythm required to play shots, in which you determine both the strength of the hit and the timing of the 'snap' of the wrists. Graphically the game is also excellent, redrawing the view to the pin from wherever on the course the ball has ended up. You may not get the fresh air and the exercise of the real thing, but you'll certainly get the tension and exhilaration of the action.

MACHINES: Spectrum 48/128
SUPPLIER: US Gold
PRICE: £9.99

About eight months ago U.S. Gold said they were going to release Leaderboard on the Spectrum. An impossible task I thought, but after numerous delays they have finally done it. Not only have they done the impossible but they also get full marks on this fantastic conversion.

Considering the limitations of the Spectrum, U.S. Gold has produced the best sports simulation ever seen on this machine. The gameplay of Leaderboard has not changed from conversion to conversion and is very easy to get to grips with. I have been hooked on Leederboard ever since my first stroke of the ball and now I enjoy playing all four versions of it, soon to be five when the Amstrad version is released.

Leaderboard is a golf game which gives a true three dimensional perspective view of the course from behind your man. There are four courses included each consisting of 18 holes, so those of you who bought Konami Golf, throw it away and rush out for the number one choice.

The club selection is from a 1W down to a PW. When you have chosen your club the strength of your shot has to be judged by means of a rising guage. After the strength comes the hook or slice which is the hardest bit to judge as the gauge falls so fast. Once you are on the green you are given a putter and have to judge the slope of the green by means of a stick in the ground and a shadow. The putter can hit the ball up to a maximum of 64 feet but can be more downhill.

When everyone has holed out a scorecard is displayed for each player one after the other to chart your progress, then it is onto the next hole. Full marks have to go to U.S. Gold on this excellent conversion of a CBM64 classic which could have easily turned out to be utter rubbish.

THE MOST AUTHENTIC GOLF SIMULATION THE SPECTRUM HAS EVER SEEN.

US Gold
£9.95

Sports simulations have been in the doldrums recently so the arrival of Leaderboard (a chart-topping Commodore game) on the Spectrum is cause for celebration especially as it's in a different league to any existing golf game.

The list of options is undoubtedly impressive - there are four 18 hole courses to play on plus a practice driving range. Up to four players can take part in a round and there are three levels of difficulty, novice amateur and professional (where subtle shifts in wind direction affect the flight of the ball). Each player has a choice of club (from an available 14) and can adjust the power, slice and hook in his shot by timing the drive against a moving bar display.

The joy of the game is the high responsiveness to subtle changes in your play. Select the wrong club or apply too much slice and you pay dearly as your score threatens to expand off the scoreboard. On a lot of holes, water hazards dominate and if this was real life you'd be spending a fortune in lost balls. Pinpoint accuracy is essential all the way down to the hole. You are kept up to date with the exact distance to the hole, even down to the last few inches so that even a tap in can be a problem especially as most greens have a vicious slope. An authentic touch familiar to poor putters occurs when you putt too hard but on the right line and the ball hops over the rim of the hole.

Graphically, Leaderboard is excellent with 'fill-in' block colours and a smoothly animated playing figure. The perspective of the ball in flight as it swings through the air is most convincing and golf buffs will uncover a lot of small details that have been overlooked by previous golfing games - such as hitting the flag in the hole from an approach shot.

Leaderboard is an exceptionally good simulation which will be lapped up by anyone with an interest in golf and by those who enjoy a well put together game.

The ultimate accolade for a sporting simulation would be that it was preferable to playing the game itself and although Leaderboard can't quite manage that, it's a very close thing.