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| | Publisher: GarageGames  Genre: Sports | | | Min OS X: 10.2 CPU: G3 @ 500 MHz |
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I've heard from those who care about such things that if the Earth were to be devastated by nuclear war, it's the cockroaches that would survive and repopulate the planet. Fair enough, I suppose; they've paid their dues. If such a catastrophe were to ever befall computer gaming, I'm convinced that two types of games would live on to entertain the masses: solitaire and miniature golf. Is this a good thing? Well, it could be worse. It could be racing games.One of the latest saviors of gaming-kind, then, is Top Meadow's Minigolf Mania. From the creators of 3D Ultra Minigolf, Minigolf Mania comprises 54 holes across three courses—Golden Hills, Lava Islands, and Snowy Fields—and a nine hole tutorial. Each course has its own distinct feel, from the relatively standard play of Golden Hills to the icy terrain of Snowy Fields. Still, there are only 54 holes, which experienced gamers will know means a relatively short shelf life. Once you've beaten all the holes, is there a reason to keep playing? Developers have tackled this issue many different ways—offering the ability to custom build or download additional levels, for example—but Top Meadow took a different approach: game types. Game Play No, there is no online multiplayer battle ala Quake III: Arena, although I have to think the developers may have used that as inspiration, here. More on that later. First, the game modes.Normal Play is just that; the player with the lowest number of strokes wins. In Race Play, it's speed that determines the winner. The player who gets the ball in cup the fastest wins the hole. There's a Safari Game in which the cup isn't even open until the player hits all of the animals on the course, and Safari Race combines the Safari Game with Race Play. All these modes mean that after you've mastered the three courses, you're not yet done with the game. And even better, the extra modes don't seem tacked on as an afterthought. They're equally as fun as Normal Play, and perhaps even moreso. Hitting the ball uses the standard convention of golf games. You first place your ball, then select the direction you want the ball to be hit, then determine the power. All of this is done with the mouse, so it ends up being quite a relaxing game if you're playing with a mouse, but somewhat frustrating if you're stuck with a touchpad. The holes themselves range from the types you'd expect to find on your standard real-life miniature golf course to those that defy the laws of logic and physics. Helping you on your way are booster beams that launch the ball in the direction they're pointing, super jumps that rocket the ball skyward, super grows that increase your ball size for a few seconds, and more. Sometimes these power-ups are merely helpful as you try to get par. Other times, they're completely necessary. The power-ups aren't relegated solely to the holes, however. There are over 40 different balls with which you can choose to play, many of which are equipped with super powers. Some powers affect the physics of your ball, others allow you to easily navigate hazards (such as the ability to roll over lava), while others affect the behavior of your opponents' balls, or fire lasers at them. Quake III: Arena on the miniature golf course? Perhaps not, but multiplayer Minigolf Mania plays more like a spiteful game of croquet than the typical round of miniature golf. The problem with holes that require super balls and special elements is that many of them prove relentlessly frustrating. Although some holes can be easily figured out and mastered with practice, some can only be beaten with blind luck. How you deal with that depends upon the type of gamer you are.
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