This review is for Kirby's Dream Course on the SNES, Dooyoo have it listed as PC, but their own photo is of the SNES not the PC.

Kirby's Dream Course was released on the SNES back in the mid 90's. The game came as all SNES games did in a cardboard box between Video and DVD size. The box contained an instruction manual and a cartridge specifically for the SNES.


Kirby's Dream Course is a golfing game with a bit of a difference. To be honest I have no idea why I wanted this game when I was younger as I was never really into golf, I'm guessing it was something to do with Kirby games being popular in the playground at the time.

Unlike regular golfing games you don't hit a ball around the course, but instead you hit the games main character Kirby around it. The game has a number of different themed courses and each course consists of 8 holes.

On each hole you will be given 3 shots to complete the hole in. To begin with there will not be a hole shown on the screen for you to aim for, this is because there will be a number of Kirby's enemies laid out around the course and you must first defeat them. To defeat the enemies Kirby needs to roll into them with your shots. Every time you take a shot you will loose one of the available shots, however if you hit an enemy you will be granted an extra shot. When there is only one enemy left this last enemy will transform into the hole that you need to get Kirby into. Upon successfully getting Kirby into the hole you will move onto the next hole.

As you progress through to the more complicated holes the landscape will change and you will encounter hills, ramps and blockades which affect the way Kirby will move around the course. If you hit Kirby too hard there is a chance he will fall off the course and you will loose a life. To help you get around the course though there are booster points which enable Kirby to turn into a whirlwind, float around or destroy blockades to defeat enemies more effectively, there are also special effects which allow you to stop Kirby in his tracks which I find useful to have if I am about to fall off the course. Some of these effects are gained by rolling over certain areas of the course, others are gained from the successful defeat of an enemy.

As with all golfing games the aim of the game is to finish the course taking as few shots as possible, at the end of your game if you have played well enough you will be awarded gold, silver or bronze.

Each course has its own kind of wacky design and they are all full of bright colours which does add appeal to the game. I find the default camera angles a little awkward, but this can be adjusted while you are playing the game to suit your personal preference.

There is a multiplayer option on the game, I have only played this a few times with my mum when I was younger as she didn't like this game as she thought it was boring, so she wouldn't play it very often. The multiplayer mode is basically the same as single player with the only differences being you can attack the other player and the first person to get Kirby in the hole wins 2 life points instead of the usual one point.


The controls of the game are quite easy, it does take some practice to get used to hitting Kirby with the right amount of power, too much results in him possibly falling off the course and you loosing a life, too little and he wont move far enough and this will cost you a health point. I found this really frustrating at first, especially on the harder courses which have more hazards and enemies, however the more I played this game the easier it became. I was quite patient with games when I was younger, I'm not so much now so hence I don't put this one on very often as it does require a certain amount of patience!


** Graphics and Sound **
The graphics in the game are good, there is a 3D effect to the courses and while this is good it does make the camera angles a little awkward for some shots and I often found myself taking more time adjusting the angles than playing the game. The sound is good, it is light hearted music in the background with added sound effects that reflect what is happening in the game.


** Price and Availability **
I got this game back in the 90's when it was widely available, however these days it is a case of searching eBay for it, or visiting a specialist gamer shop, if you do see a copy of this game and you fancy giving it a go then I would say buy it, don't shop around too much as this was one of the rarer titles on the SNES.


** My Experience and Opinion **
Whilst this is not one of my favourite SNES games, I did enjoy playing it when I was younger. Now I am older I no longer really have the patience for this game as there are better ones out there, however this doesn't make this a bad game and I would recommend it. It is fun to play and ideal for children to enjoy a game of golf with a fun twist to it.

Thanks for reading :)