Hot Shots Golf Fore! review:2 stars (sand trap rule sucks big time) - There is one rule in the tournament mode which makes as much sense as saying people never die when you know in fact that is totally wrong, absurd, and psychotic. In the stage trial, they have a rule which says everytime you land in the sand trap, that costs you a 2 stroke penalty no matter whether it's a par 3, 4, or 5. If that rule applies, then the par should be an 8, 11, or 72 for just 1 hole, not all 18 of them.

I was experimenting with that rule AND WITH VARIOUS CLUBS such as standard, turbo spin, and the 1000 ft hammer club and I was also experimenting with the different players such as Brad, Mel, Sam, and ALLAN, and no matter which person I tried, the ball either went out of bounds anyway, or it found the sand trap. Is the object of golf to get triple bogeys and encourage others to waste their money on such lunacy? The people who wrote this pedestrian and antique program sure think so or they wouldn't be laughing all the way to the bank either. Would they enjoy standing in the unemployment line as the bill collectors ask for the money they advanced?

It seems there is no way around this nauseating rule of sand traps unless you choose to vomit and puke on George Bush's desk at the White House and let's see the people at Klap Hanz even get past the security guards! send me your photos if you get that far, ok because a deal is a deal here! That sand trap rule of +2 makes as much sense as using a putter off the tee and using a driver on the green.

I see no difference in the logic or in the analogy between their nerve racking terms and mine because no game is fun to play because of their been there, done that b.s. There was even a case where I tried to avoid the sand traps only to find that some moron left the golf cart right smack in the fairway which deflected the ball out of bounds. Why not try indecent exposure during a bank robbery and see if the judge will bestow any mercy on your criminal butt! This game is a joke and I'm not laughing any more than what a cook does when peeling onions in front of a skunk.5 stars (The PS2 Game for Adults & Non-Game Players) - I'm not much into video games, That's my kids' past time, but I enjoy this game. It keeps me on the LINKs during the winter and does so playfully. There are other golf games that take themselves more seriously, but this one has everything an arm chair duffer could want with enough humor to make it fun.

I played Hot Shots Golf Three until my kids snuck off to college with it. My wife replaced it with this one and I am glad she did.

Version fore is much like three, same courses, same characters, same humor, only more so. New courses, new characters, and slightly better graphics have been added. In the older version I kept looking for the extra critters that are so familiar around the golf course. In this version they are easy to see, along with some others (such as bears) that I have yet to see at my favorite club.

This is a great way to battle the winter blues.4 stars (fore!) - I played Hot Shots Golf 3 before this and was pretty impressed with it. When this came available I picked up a copy too. Overall I think the concept is great; it's allot of fun to play with the special effects and humorous characters, and the scenery is great. On the other hand, the playability leaves something to be desired.

I've heard several people argue that the "3" version was somewhat biased toward the computer players and made winning quite difficult for the human player. I'm not sure what to say about that but I will say that with "Fore" I've suspected that on more than one occasion the game became disproportionately difficult as I approached a victory.

Overall I give it 4 stars because I think the concept is fun and it's interesting gameplay. Does the game cheat? You decide. Either way it's pretty entertaining but not a five star offering.
Hot Shots Golf Fore! Features:
PS2 (PSX2)
Sony Playstation (Play station) 2
Playstation2 (Play station2)
Action
Adventure
Sports
Outdoors
Video Games
Play as one of 30 off-the-wall characters on 15 different courses
Range of difficultly levels from challenging 18-hole to par three courses
Play in tour, tournament, versus, training, and online modes
Experience spectacular lighting, dramatic camera angles, and realistic golf physics
For 1 to 4 players, and more in online mode

Hot Shots Golf Fore- is the CD-ROM version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 39.88USD.