Ninja Golf - Atari 7800

This is one crazy game.

You play a Ninja, on a golf course, playing golf. With me so far? You have to whack your ball across a series of golf courses, fending off other Ninjas, birds, Gophers and (once you reach the hole) a big dragon thing shooting fireballs at you.

As the game progresses, you'll notice interesting takes on the different sections of a golf course. End up in the bunkers, the music will change to an Egyptian theme as you battle Cobras. End up in the water, and an obvious Jaws riff will play as you punch sharks on the nose.

Told you it was nuts.

How does the golf aspect of the game work? Well, all the fighting takes place inbetween the golfing bits. You choose the direction you hit the ball - wait for the scrolling meter thing to reach its furthest point, then hit the fire button and watch it fly. Screw it up, and you won't run very far (battling the bad guys) before you have to hit the ball again. Time it right, and you can complete some of the courses in as little as two hits. I've no idea if you can get a hole in one though.

The sound is something of a let down - besides the title music, the only time tunes play is when entering a "special" section such as a bunker or when you first enter the water. Besides that, it's silence save for the sound effects and the repetitive crump-crump-crump that's supposed to be your footsteps.

Oh well, can't have everything.

This seems to be a particularly difficult game to get hold of, so grab it as soon as you see it appear on EBay or dedicated gaming stores or wherever. Hey, even if you don't like the game it's worth it for the glorious cover art.

Score: 4/5