Islands Mini Golf is n’t Modern — in fact , DanLab Games first release the game in late 2004 . Somehow it slipped under my microwave radar . But DanLab has made steady improvements to Islands Mini Golf ever since that initial release ; the most recent update gives me an exculpation to take a look . Now , Islands Mini Golf is a Universal Binary that runs natively on Intel - based Macs ; it also gambol young graphics applied science that makes it look even better than before .

DanLab Games also create of Jammin ’ Racer ( ) , one of my favorite shareware games from 2005 . Both Jammin ’ Racer and Islands Mini Golf take over their sensitivity and style from console titles , but they ’re totally original Mac games . And Islands Mini Golf is sure to challenge anyone with a hankering to hit 18 trap on some challenging course .

Islands Mini Golf lets you control the guidance and strong suit of your putt using either the keyboard or your black eye . The putt commission and speed are seeable on the screen with a 3 - D pointer that moves away from the ball and with a rotary strength meter that is displayed on the right side of the plot ’s port — a coarse - enough style of port to anyone with a pass familiarity with golf games .

It takes a bit of recitation to get used to how hard you demand to strike the ballock to get it to the cup , and each maw has its own set of hazards and challenge . Fortunately , you may take practice sessions at each hole to hone your game before you really start playing . Each hole present itself with a prompt flyby , and if you demand to re - orient yourself during play , function keys can change your camera views .

Like any right golf game , up to a Little Joe can play Islands Mini Golf — the game features “ hot seat ” looseness , mean the actor take turns use the same estimator and keyboard or mouse . Alas , there ’s no meshwork play .

Each player can put down their name and can be represented by an lovely 3 - five hundred brute . ( My boy are particularly fond of the frog and the shark ) . The avatar do n’t really figure into the gameplay at all — you never see them on the row , which make me wonder why they ’re here at all .

After you ’re done playing , Islands Mini Golf will show your best sexual conquest ; you could equate it to other Islands Mini Golf players around the Earth using an online table . I ’d really like to see this biz ’s on-line ability flourish , possibly with “ real ” online play in addition to the blistering keister mode .

The secret plan features its own custom soundtrack — which is fab — and adequate effectual effects . It also features absolutely gorgeous graphics that really help oneself set the tone for the game . A new feature in the 1.4 update adds water shaders for OS X 10.4 users , so the water system that surrounds the island ( and often cypher into traps and hazards ) has a shimmering , rippled quality that ’s quite beautiful . This replace a more round-eyed translucent shader that is still an option — useful if your Mac is n’t fast enough or does n’t have undecomposed enough art ironware to make the most of the game ’s power . Minimum organisation requirements call for a 400MHz G4 central processor and OS X 10.3 , so honest-to-god systems should be capable to take on . Just in case , there ’s a downloadable demo you could try out to see for yourself .

There are a total of five course of study from which to play — that ’s 90 maw in all , which will keep you busy for a while . The five different courses each have a very unique feeling and feel : Coco Paradise is a tropical island motif , while Pharaoh Islands take up from Ancient Egypt . King Castle is a Camelot - trend course , while Zhao Islands have a decidedly Asian flavor . Jammin Islands are a more arcadey - style of course .

Some of the hollow are really , really tough — tough to the point of head - bangingly frustrative . In some cases , your ball can roll out right off the class an into a water hazard unless you apply just the veracious tinge with your putter or take baby gradation with short fortuity . The frustration level can increase when you ’re face with what seems like an impossibly humiliated equality rating . If you get really fed up you’re able to skip holes , though you ’ll be penalized with a maximum stroke punishment .

Fortunately , you’re able to spare and wreak as you go , which makes Islands Mini Golf a great diversion on the commute or in the situation between meetings , without forcing you to play all the way through .

The bottom line

Islands Mini Golf is a beautiful 3 - D mini golf biz that ’s even good than ever now that it ’s Universal .