King of the Course

Despite its leisurely pace, golf can be a pretty stressful sport.

Missing a shot by inches, ending up in a sand trap, and fouling up on a swing are just a few of the ways things can go wrong.

In King of the Course, though, the most stressful factor is the unpredictable aftertouch mechanic.

Initially, King of the Course offers an interesting approach to touchscreen golfing. You have to tap and hold on the screen to start a swing, then swipe up to complete it.

Changing the angle of your upwards swipe changes the trajectory of the ball. Handy if you're playing into the wind or trying to dodge some trees.

You can also fiddle with the ball's flight by swiping on the screen, and tweak it a little more once it's on the ground by adding spin.

The problem is these mechanics are bizarrely unreliable. Vigorous swiping might cause the ball to roll backwards towards the hole on one shot, and then do absolutely nothing the next.

Similarly, a swipe to the side will result in a minor mid-air course correction on your first swing, then cause the ball to dramatically veer off into the undergrowth on your second.

The lack of a proper way to measure swing strength is also problematic - especially for chip shots.

It makes repeating swings multiple times more difficult than you'd expect, and adds to the overall feeling of inconsistency.

Unfortunately, King of the Course peters out after the first few holes. The spotty aftertouch mechanic (which it's difficult not to rely on), coupled with a painfully tight energy system make the whole thing feel like "a good walk spoiled".