Pros: Gaining levels makes the game much more addictive, great course design.
Cons: Some balancing problems, no random opponents.
The bottom line: Mario Golf shines on GameBoy Color as one of the best games ever created for this platform.
Mario Golf was one of the biggest hits on the GameBoy platform last year. And with full justification, I may add. Mario Golf is nothing spectacular, yet it provides endless fun in its most simple, addictive form.

In this game, you assume a role of a player you can customize. You can select whether the player is right- or left-handed, whether he is male of female, and decide on the name. The rest is up to your skill. You will collect experience points for every round of golf you play, as well as for several extra holes. For all those points, you will advance in levels and get the choice to improve on several characteristics, such as the maximum length of a drive, whether you fade or draw, how good control you have, etc. Of course, by improving one characteristic, the other suffer a bit, and so you'll have to keep your development balanced.

However, the main aspect of the game is not character development, but golf. You can play alone, in a tournament, against the club champion or simply shoot a couple of extra holes that tend to pop out of the map once you finish one of the tournaments.

During the course of the game, you will have to place in four tournaments. If you are like me, you'll try to win them. You will be admitted to the next tournament only if you successfully finish the previous one. And trust me, you'll sweat through every single tournament. Once you are the overall champion, you will be invited to play on a tournament against the best of the best - Mario, Luigi and their whole crew on one of the most unique golf course in the whole golf gaming world.

But let us take a closer look to the game itself:

Interface
Interface is one of the strongest points of the game. It consists of a simple power bar, which acts as a stretched-out power circle in Microsoft Golf or Links. In addition, you can rotate the ball in eight basic directions, by holding the appropriate cursor arrows. This gives the ball a very realistic feel, making is stop on the spot, roll farther than usually, or curve. Also, it lifts the ball to different heights, a very important characteristic, as you'll face some strong winds.

Graphics
Graphics are very good. Most of the time, they are very good to read, and you'll have no problems finding where you are. A few times, however, you will find yourself hidden behind the edge of the screen. Still, considering the size of the screen, its color capabilities and the number of course designs, graphics are something the designers can brag about.

Sound and music
I must admit that sound is almost essential in the game. It is much easier to hit the ball when you hear those faint "ping" sounds every time you press the firing button. As for music, it is very appropriate. Unobtrusive on the course, it changes dramatically once you hit the green - either a cheery melody when you shoot for a birdie, or a very frantic one when hitting for a boogie or worse.

Course design
Superb. That is all I have to say about the design of the courses. Each course is unique. You'll get the classic golf course, a sandy one, a rocky one and a marshy one. And an extra course you'll have to deserve to see - I won't tell you anything. Each golf course has its unique characteristics, which will force you to adjust your playing style. This ensures a sense of suspense through the whole game.

Weak points
To be honest, this game has a few weak points. The biggest problem is with the balancing of the game. While the second and third gold courses will be relatively easy, the fourth course will be a frustrating hell, only to be succeeded by a very easy course. A more gradual increase in difficulty would be appropriate. The second problem is that everybody scores the same every time in a tournament. This means that once you lose a tournament, you will know exactly how much you need to win it. This subtracts from the suspense a bit, and makes the game look more flat.

Overall, this game is a perfect mix of arcade, sports and character development. It will capture you in a way few games ever did, forcing you to turn on your GameBoy again and again, to reach one more level or to score even better on a golf course. It will not make you work too hard, but you will be happy for every well-deserved level increase. And once done, you will try to play again, trying to finish it on a lower level. And again, and again. This game is so addictive it should be illegal - not only because you spend so much time with it, but also because it will make you decrease your game spending in the future.