''Links'' is a series of

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

simulation A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the s ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s, first developed by Access Software, and then later by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...

after it acquired Access Software in 1999. Microsoft also produced its own series of golf games based on ''Links'', under the title ''Microsoft Golf''. The ''Links'' series was a flagship brand for Access, and was continued from

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

to 2003. The first game in the series, '' Links: The Challenge of Golf'', won '' Computer Gaming Worlds 1991 Action Game of the Year award. Several versions of the game and

expansion pack An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or ...

s (containing new courses and golfers mainly) were created for the Mac and PC over the years. In 1996, Access Software introduced '' Links LS 1997'', the first of several ''Links'' games to use the ''LS'' (''Legends in Sports'') title. A version for the

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...

named '' Links 2004'' was released in November 2003. It would be the final game in the series. In March 2004, Microsoft announced the cancellation of its 2004 lineup of sports games, allowing the company to focus on improving such games. The company stated, "Links is something that we're taking a hard look at what we need to do." At the end of 2004, Microsoft sold Indie Built (formerly Access Software) to

Take-Two Interactive Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City and founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993. The company owns two major publishing labels, Rockstar Games and 2K, which operate internal ...

. Indie Built was later shut down in 2006. Many members of the development team now work for TruGolf, a golf simulator company based out of Centerville, Utah. In 2021, TruGolf re-acquired the rights to the Links series, re-releasing classic editions on GOG, as well as a new title, ''Links E6'', the first in 17 years.

List of games

The following games were developed by Access Software * '' Links: The Challenge of Golf'' (1990) Amiga,

DOS DOS is shorthand for the MS-DOS and IBM PC DOS family of operating systems. DOS may also refer to: Computing * Data over signalling (DoS), multiplexing data onto a signalling channel * Denial-of-service attack (DoS), an attack on a communicat ...

Sega CD The Sega CD, released as the in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. It was released on December 12, 1991, in Japan ...

* ''

Links 386 Pro ''Links 386 Pro'' is a golf simulation sports game for MS-DOS released in 1992. It is part of the ''Links'' series, and was developed by Access Software as the follow-up to '' Links: The Challenge of Golf'' (1990). A Macintosh version, ''Links Pr ...

'' (1992) DOS ** ''Links Pro'' (1993), the

Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

version of ''Links 386 Pro'' * '' Links LS 1997'' (1996) DOS * '' Links LS 1998'' (1997)

Microsoft Windows 95 Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturin ...

* '' Links LS 1999'' (1998)

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...

produced the following games after its purchase of Access Software in 1999. * '' Links Extreme'' (1999) Windows * '' Links LS 2000'' (1999) Windows * '' Links 2001'' (2000) Windows ** ''Links Championship Edition'' (2001) Windows (includes ''Links 2001'', ''Links Expansion Pack'', a course designer, a course converter and 4 new courses) * '' Links 2003'' (2002) Windows Microsoft Game Studios ** ''Links 2003 Championship Edition'' (2003) Windows (includes ''Links 2003'' and ''Links 2003 Championship Courses'') * '' Links 2004'' (2003)

Course disks

The following disks add additional courses to the main ''Links'' games. * ''Links: Championship Course:

Pinehurst Country Club Pinehurst Resort is a golf resort in Pinehurst, North Carolina in the United States. It has hosted a number of prestigious golf tournaments including three U.S. Open (golf), U.S. Open Championships, one U.S. Women's Open, three United States Amat ...

(1991) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course:

Firestone Country Club Firestone Country Club is a private golf club in the United States, located in Akron, Ohio. It was a regular stop on the PGA Tour and has hosted the PGA Championship three times. It is the current home of the Bridgestone Senior Players Championshi ...

'' (1991) Amiga, DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Hyatt Dorado Beach Resort'' (1991) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Bay Hill Club & Lodge'' (1991) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Bountiful Golf Course'' (1991) Amiga, DOS * ''Links: Championship Course:

Barton Creek Barton Creek is a tributary that feeds the Colorado River as it flows through the Texas Hill Country. The creek passes through some of the more scenic areas in Greater Austin, surrounded in many parts by a greenbelt of protected lands that serve ...

'' (1991) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Mauna Kea'' (1992) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Troon North'' (1992) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Banff Springs'' (1992) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course:

The Belfry The Belfry is a golf resort and hotel in Wishaw, Warwickshire, close to Sutton Coldfield, England, located approximately 8 miles from the centre of Birmingham. It was acquired by KSL Capital Partners in August 2012. The resort has three golf ...

'' (1992) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Innisbrook - Copperhead'' (1993) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course:

Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...

'' (1993) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course:

Bighorn The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

'' (1994) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Castlepines'' (1994) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Prairie Dunes'' (1995) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course: Cog Hill'' (1995) DOS * ''Links: Championship Course:

Riviera ''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two areas ...

'' (1995) DOS * ''Links: Fantasy Course: Devils Island'' (1995) DOS * ''Links Championship Course: Pelican Hill'' (1996) DOS, Windows * ''Links Championship Course: Valderrama'' (1997) Windows * ''Links Championship Course: Oakland Hills'' (1997) Windows * ''Links: Championship Course:

Valhalla In Norse mythology Valhalla (;) is the anglicised name for non, Valhǫll ("hall of the slain").Orchard (1997:171–172) It is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. Half of those who die in combat e ...

'' (1997) Windows * ''Links Championship Course:

Congressional Country Club Congressional Country Club is a country club and golf course in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. Congressional opened in 1924 and its Blue Course has hosted five major championships, including three U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship. It was a ...

'' (1998) Windows * '' Links LS 2000 10-Course Pack'' (2000) Windows * ''Links Expansion Pack'' (2001) Windows (for ''Links 2001'') * '' Links 2003 Championship Courses'' (2002) Windows * ''Links Golf Courses Library'' (several versions)

''Microsoft Golf''

Before its purchase of Access Software, Microsoft published a series of golf games similar to ''Links'', under the title ''Microsoft Golf''. The first three games in the series are Windows-compatible versions of the early ''Links'' games, which were published for DOS. The first three entries in the ''Microsoft Golf'' series were developed by Access Software for Microsoft, and were sometimes labeled by publications as ''Links Lite''. Microsoft subsequently published ''

Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition ''Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition'' is a 1998 golf video game developed by American studio Friendly Software and published by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows. It is the fourth game in the '' Microsoft Golf'' series, following '' Microsoft Golf 3.0''. ...

'' and '' 1999 Edition'', which were developed by ''Friendly Software'' as separate games not based on ''Links''. After Access Software was acquired by Microsoft in 1999, Microsoft produced '' Microsoft Golf 2001 Edition'', which was based on ''Links'', and then discontinued the ''Microsoft Golf'' series to continue with the ''Links'' series. The following games were produced in the ''Microsoft Golf'' series: * ''

Microsoft Golf ''Microsoft Golf'' is a video game spin-off of the '' Links'' series. Gameplay ''Microsoft Golf: The True Challenge of Golf for Windows'' adapts the ''Links'' game engine for Windows, and a Multimedia Edition was also published. Reception Patri ...

'' (1992) Windows 3.1 * '' Microsoft Golf: Multimedia Edition'' (1993) Windows 3.1 * ''

Microsoft Golf 2.0 ''Links 386 Pro'' is a golf simulation sports game for MS-DOS released in 1992. It is part of the ''Links'' series, and was developed by Access Software as the follow-up to '' Links: The Challenge of Golf'' (1990). A Macintosh version, ''Links P ...

'' (1994) Windows 3.1/95 * '' Microsoft Golf 3.0'' (1996) Windows 95 * ''

'' (1998) Windows 95 * '' Microsoft Golf 1999 Edition'' (1998) Windows 95 * '' Microsoft Golf 2001 Edition'' (2000) Windows 98

Reception

'' Computer Gaming World'' in 1996 ranked the 1990 version of ''Links'' fifth on the magazine's list of the most innovative computer games, stating that the game "may have inspired more 'business machine upgrades' than any other game". In 1996 '' Next Generation'' ranked it 69th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", contending that "many prefer EA's PGA series, but ''Links'' takes the title by a

hair's breadth A hair's breadth, or the width of human hair, is used as an informal unit of a very short length. It connotes "a very small margin" or the narrowest degree in many contexts. Definitions This measurement is not precise because human hair varie ...

. With real life courses, and enough stats, sliders, and options to choke a horse, ''Links'' re-creates everything but the swing (which is still accomplished with a 'three click' power bar)." During 1999, ''Links LS 2000'' sold 104,225 copies and earned $4.6 million in the United States. ''Links 2001'' rose to 240,000 copies and $8.2 million in the United States by August 2006, which made it the 84th-best-selling computer game released between January 2000 and August 2006 in the region. Combined sales of all ''Links'' games released in the 2000s reached 720,000 copies in the United States by August 2006. In the United States, ''

Links Championship Edition ''Links 2001'' is a golf video game developed and published by Microsoft. It is part of the '' Links'' series and follows ''Links LS 2000''. It is the first game in the series to include a golf course designer, allowing the player to create custom ...

'' sold over 100,000 copies by August 2006. ''Links 2003'' was a nominee for ''

PC Gamer US ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games ma ...

''s "2002 Best Sports Game" award, which ultimately went to ''

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 ''Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003'' is a sports video game developed by EA Redwood Shores for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions and Headgate Studios for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS versions and published by EA Sports. Reception ...

''. The magazine's Dan Morris called ''Links 2003'' "a terrific game".

References

External links