The Jack Nicklaus series is fast becoming the most complete and satisfying computer golf game on the market, ready to edge out even the front runner, Links. Jack Nicklaus 5, coming as it does barely a year after Jack Nicklaus 4 is a marked step forward in the game and its awesome course designer.

Accolade and developer Eclipse (featuring members of the original Cinematronics team used on Jack 4) have listened to user requests and added some excellent new features. Right off the tee, the game just looks better. Colors are richer, textures smoother, and objects more detailed and diverse. Divot, sand, and water animations look sharp. Waving flags are more than just an effect: They show true wind direction. Put next to Links LS 98, it's tough to say which looks better. The biggest difference, however, is in the radical changes made to the golfers. Instead of using videotaped, two-dimensional golfers, Accolade has struck into unfamiliar territory to create fluidly animated, motion-captured, true-3D golfers. These polygon creations move much more realistically, and allow for a true perspective on the golfer no matter where the camera is placed on the course. They are much better implemented than the clipped golfers from Front Page Sports: Golf, even though the follow-through is off on short putts. With 3D golfers, you can drag and point the camera anywhere on the course and still see the golfer. The hole diagram can be open during shot setup, and even comes with a handy yardage meter. Multiple view windows are still not an option, however. The mechanics of the game have also been improved, with three separate swing modes to choose from. Two- and three-stage powerbars are available, as well as a newly implemented dynamic "MouseMeter" interface, a la Front Page Sports: Golf. This works fine, allowing players to control the strength and direction of their swing by moving the mouse. (I'll stick with the powerbar.) Ball and swing dynamics seem tighter. Downhill and uphill lies are more effective and the swing model seems more demanding and realistic. Most interesting of all are the new computer opponents, which are controlled by AI rather than being recorded. Their thinking time tends to slow the game down, but makes each round far more interesting.

Of course, what would a Nicklaus game be without a course designer? Jack 5 takes the now-classic course editor a step further. You can still route an entire course, then add and shape terrain features and objects. In response to user demands, there are also far more textures incorporated in the designer, as well as the ability to import any PCX file as a texture, object, or background. You can even bring in new sounds. The game comes with ten courses, but with the course designer (and backward compatibility with JN4 courses), literally hundreds of course become available. Multiplayer features (four-person IPX, TCP/IP, modem, and serial) and color commentary by Gary McCord round out a fulsome package. No other golf game on the market is this powerful and comes with so many ready-to-play courses. Jack Nicklaus is the most successful golfer in history, and Jack Nicklaus 5 is more than worthy to bear his name.