3D ULTRA MINIGOLF & DELUXE EDITION

   

Remember mini golf? Scrambling across the Astroturf on a hot summer night trying desperately to beat your buddies to the windmill? We've got mini golf just the way you remember it... only much, much cooler.

3-D Ultra MiniGolf has the vintage holes you love, plus a whole bunch of new ones you won't believe! And they're all jam-packed with gadgets, gizmos, strange creatures and crazy sound effects - taking a favorite pastime to a whole new level of fun!

Whack the ball between erupting volcanoes or bank a putt through a bustling space port. Watch in disbelief as your ball disintegrates in molten lava or - worse yet - your best friend sinks a hole-in-one!

• The most realistic physics and accurate ball movement of any computer mini golf game.
• Play it safe or take the riskier - but more rewarding - shots, with multiple ball paths.
• Play match, medal - or race against the clock and friends to sink your ball first!
• Use EasyPutt for one-click operation or TruePutt which lets you control the force and angle of your putt with the mouse
• Includes 2 incredible nine-hole courses.
• Compete with up to four players on your computer.

~ from the back of the box

Sierra's 3D Ultra Pinball series was always a selection of fun pick-up-and-play time wasters. In 1997 the developers at Dynamix decided to branch out away from pinball into another sport: mini-golf. And with that, 3D Ultra MiniGolf was born.

You'll visit a strange number of locations over the course of 18 holes, including a rather confrontational encounter with a dinosaur-sized caveman. Yes, the over-the-top stylings are here in full force and really add to the enjoyment. You can aim for par, or simply explore the locations seeing what animations you can trigger.

There are two ways to putt. EasyPutt, despite its name, is not solely for younger players only. The strength of your swing is determined by a number of clicks where you stop a pointer on a gauge. TruePutt is far trickier to control. The swing motion is played out using the mouse, asking you to make broader sweeps than you would normally in everyday use. It is also incredibly inconsistent, betraying its namesake. There's a reason why the EasyPutt style is still around in golf games to this day and TruePutt is lost to time.

At least you have access to both options on the fly using the in-game menu bar (for some reason, the actual Preferences button on the main menu crashes the game, but everything can be accessed in-game anyway). If there's anything that shows the game's age it's in the graphics department. Holes are split up into a series of well-placed static screenshots created using pre-rendered CGI. They are detailed enough to spark your imagination, but when you screw up a hit that results in an awkward ball placement, they can be more of a hindrance. It's to the designer's credit that this rarely happens.

In the end, 3D Ultra Mini-Golf is a worthy experiment in the 3D Ultra series - one that would see the series through to this day (see 3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventures on Steam). Despite its age, it remains an insane amount of fun.

** UPDATE!! **

3D Ultra MiniGolf Deluxe is now available! This version adds 9 holes, each of which have been upped in imagination and ambition. Some are a little too large and complex which highlights the issues with the static-screen approach to game design moreso than the original. One stage that takes place amongst the clouds in particularly egregious. "On Cloud 9" gives you few visual clues to truly understand the geography of your surroundings and when you hit your ball, it's pot luck where it will land, let alone how it got there. Some better-aimed hits may offer better results but potting a ball in this hole in particular seemed more like a fluke.

In this respect, a lot of the courses are more like a navigation puzzle than a test of skill and timing. The larger, more complex ones will take a few hits just to get a lay of the land. If you look at my scoreboard in the images below, you can see how well I fared on my first playthrough. Despite all of this, the game doesn't punish you for a job horribly done. You will see all of the courses no matter your score. This, coupled with an extreme abount of inventiveness on display still makes for a fun if casual play.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses DOSBox running Microsoft Windows 3.1 to get the game working on modern systems. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 333 Mb.  Install Size: 451 Mb.  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

Download

To download the Deluxe version of the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses the DOSBox-X build of DOSBox running Windows '95 for Version 1 while Version 2 runs natively under Windows. Manual included. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

  14.12.2022 - Ver.2 - Runs natively on Windows 10 (Version 1 remains)

File Size: 611 Mb (Version 1) / 571 Mb (Version 2).  Install Size: 836 Mb (Version 1) / 660 Mb (Version 2).  Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

Download

3D ULTRA MINI-GOLF

3D ULTRA MINI-GOLF DELUXE

3D Ultra MiniGolf & 3D Ultra MiniGolf Deluxe is © Sierra On-Line
Review, Cover Design and Installer created by me

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