A course that's rather coarse

GOLF games have reached a plateau of excellence in recent times. Oh sure, the graphics are tightened up every year and publishers keep on adding more courses, but you can pretty much choose any golf game and be sure it will reach a certain standard of enjoyment.

So how does a games maker differentiate their new golf title from all the others?

Take 2 Interactive has clearly adopted the old adage: "Nothing sells like sex." Outlaw Golf 2 doesn't feature any celebrity endorsements, nor does it have lovingly recreated versions of real-life courses or even sponsorship from genuine sports brands.

What it does have is eye-popping controversy. The characters in this game don't wear Rupert-style trousers, silly shoes and tartan caps worn by golfers. Instead they play the game dressed in bikinis, hot pants, "push 'em up" bras and leather trousers.

And when things go wrong for the scantily clad sportswomen they don't curse their bad luck - they're more likely to get involved in a full fledged cat-fight when golf clubs are turned into weapons.

The courses are equally bizarre. In this game you are just as likely to play past a crashed spaceship as a bunker.

The first Outlaw Golf was a big enough hit to warrant a sequel. This new one is more of the same: an outrageously twisted take on an otherwise respectable sport.

Take 2 reckons the ten over-the-top characters turn "boring old golf into a rowdy and tasteless display of uninhibited fun". Fans of the real-life game would probably disagree but Outlaw Golf 2 isn't really for them. This is a sports simulation for the Grand Theft Auto crowd.

Thankfully, beneath the crude humour and the somewhat dubious morals (I winced every time one of the Page 3-style caddies received a cuff round the head) lies a very playable golfing game.

And it's no stroll in the park, either. You control your shot using the PS2's analogue joysticks. Pull it back for the swing, push it forward for the direction of the ball. It sounds straightforward and, when you get the hang of it, offers a lot of control. Initially, though, you will struggle to finish a round anywhere near par.

Poor shots result in your confidence being sapped and some catty remarks from the commentator ("Pur-leease give her this one so we can all go home..." etc).

Whether or not you find this fun probably depends on how seriously you take your golf. If you think Benny Hill and Carry On At Your Convenience are a riot then this game will be right up your fairway.

PROJECT ZERO 2: CRIMSON BUTTERFLY: Format: Xbox. Publisher: Tecmo. Price: £29.99. Family friendly? Adults only.

WHAT'S all this? Why am I reviewing a game that has been out on the PS2 long enough to have found its way into the bargain bins?

Because Xbox owners have been forced to wait a full year for this game to migrate from Sony's console and, during the interlude, changes have been made in a bid to create a kind of "director's cut" for the Microsoft version.

A prequel to the original Project Zero, Crimson Butterfly borrows extensively from the handbook of Japanese horror that has become so popular in the West (The Ring and The Grudge being the most obvious examples). At the same time, it tries to do for 35mm cameras what The Ring did for good old VHS.

Mio and Mayu, a pair of Japanese twins, are cast adrift in an apparently deserted village. But it isn't long before the half-glimpsed shadows and the jump cuts start to make Mayu behave rather strangely.

The two girls are improbably separated and Mio is left all alone to find a way out of the haunted hamlet and rescue her missing sister. As the game progresses, the pair do meet up again but you can't shake the feeling that Mayu may not be all she appears any more.

The delays in publishing this game on the Xbox haven't given Tecmo another chance to polish the controls. As with virtually every horror game, the character movement is stilted and unnecessarily difficult in tight situations.

In common with the first game, you've also got to solve some fiendish puzzles. Thankfully, a strange boy is at hand to offer some clues if you should get stuck. Cheats could always download a walk-through from the Net.

A first person mode has been added for the Xbox. You won't want to use it all the time (it's too easy to get lost) but the change of view does breathe new life into Crimson Butterfly, even if you have played it through on the PS2.

There's also a superb Dolby digital 5.1 soundtrack that will have you nervously glancing over your shoulder and going to bed with the light on.

Published: 21/01/2005