New Look: Links 2001

Microsoft has given GameSpot the first look at the Links 2001 box art, which features the likenesses of professional golfers Sergio Garcia, Arnold Palmer, and Annika Sorenstam. Links 2001 represents a major technical step forward for the series, as it introduces a new 3D engine that improves ball physics and the level of graphical detail.

A number of new courses have also been included in the game: Aviara in San Diego, Chateau Whistler in the Canadian Rockies, The Prince Course at the Princeville Resort in Kauai, and Fred Couples' Westfields Golf Club in Virginia. The rendering of the stately Scottish course St. Andrews Links has also been enhanced for the new game.

Links 2001 will be available late this year. Aimed at a more serious audience, Links 2001 is in fact the second Microsoft golf offering that will be released this year. Microsoft Golf 2001 will be out later this month.