King of Clubs

We've always wondered why crazy golf hasn't made the leap to full mainstream pro status like its silly-trouser-wearing big brother. It would certainly make for better television. Think about it: rather than watching Tiger scowl his way around another windswept Scottish highland, wouldn't it be fun to see him lose his ball inside a giant Sphinx? The comedy value alone would be worth the price of admission.

Perhaps recognizing the untapped potential of the sport, publisher Oxygen has decided to release its take on it to the swelling rank of PSP owners. King of Clubs presents you with some 95 holes of unorthodox golfing action, split across five distinctive themes. From Egyptian to Medieval to Sci-Fi, it's like putting practice on the set of The Crystal Maze.

Also in common with that classic TV programme is a slightly cheap, generic cardboard cut-out look and feel. Indeed, the visuals as a whole suffer from a decidedly dour palette (it's all very browny-grey), and the textures lack detail. Colour us unimpressed.

The character designs also are pretty run of the mill, comprised as they are of a handful of assorted stereotypes (the busty bimbo, the redneck, etc) alongside – once unlocked – the game's signature zany creations. If we tell you that the Egyptian pro is called King Putt III, you'll have an idea of what to expect of King of Clubs' style and humour.

Of course, such presentational issues can be forgiven if King of Clubs plays a mean game of golf.

Inherent to any golf game's success is its swing system – slice that aspect of the game into the rough and you can be assured that you'll come in well over par. Or in layman's terms: bodge the control system up and you're onto a loser.

Unlike the majority of standard golf games, where timed button presses are key to carrying out a shot, King of Clubs opts for a more simplified system. All you need to do is aim, set your power and confirm to execute the shot.

Initially we found this to be a little too basic and somewhat unsatisfying. As the game progressed and the courses became more elaborate, however, we came to appreciate a little more the benefits of such an approach. The challenge here comes from the course itself and the obstacles therein. The last thing you want to be doing is battling against the controls in such a situation, so making each shot a sure thing starts to make sense.

Newly enlightened, we began to enjoy the game more. Further nuance is added as you earn money (both from finishing with a decent score and by rolling over the various money bags dotted around each hole) that can be spent on new clubs and balls. These act as modifiers, enabling you to curl your shots around corners, chip the ball over objects and so on. While nothing is particularly original, this expanding arsenal does add further tactical depth to an otherwise straightforward game.

You'll likely spend the bulk of your time with King of Clubs in Career mode, where you progress through each of the courses trying to finish with as low a score as possible. Come in under or equal to par overall on a 9-hole course and you'll acquire a silver medal, whilst clearing each specific hole successfully will grant you gold.

Whilst it's a fairly absorbing experience, we didn't find it to be much of a challenge – especially once the special clubs, balls and Mulligans (free shot tokens) started mounting up.

With a few notable exceptions, it wasn't until we reached the latter holes that we found ourselves really tested. In particular, once you get your hands on the Guide Supreme club – which you acquire very early on – you can line up your tee-off shot with laser-like precision. This can render all but the most devious of holes a mere formality.

Aside from Career you'll find Speed Golf, Survival, Tournament and Practice modes, which are all pretty self explanatory. Survival and Tournament are perhaps the most noteworthy of these for introducing a computer-controlled opponent to play against. If it's good old fashioned human competition you desire then there's a decent sprinkling of multiplayer modes (ad-hoc or PSP sharing for up to four players) to suit your needs.

If you can look past the ugly graphics, crass humour and slightly simplistic gameplay there is fun to be had with King of Clubs. Unfortunately, with the beautifully polished and endlessly playable Everybody's Golf (reviewed under its US title Hot Shots Golf) on the market at a knock-down price, we'd have to recommend that all but the staunchest of crazy golf fans head there first for their portable putting thrills.