Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Hole in One Professional picks up where HAL Laboratory’s first golf title left off, delivering a classic 18-hole experience from a clean top-down perspective. The basic mechanics are intuitive: players set club power, angle and trajectory, then watch the ball fly across fairways, bunkers and greens. A simple meter governs swing strength, while directional inputs let you account for wind and terrain. Newcomers will find the controls immediately welcoming, yet there’s enough nuance here to reward careful course management and mastery of spin.

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The game offers both stroke play—up to four participants can tee off in turn—and match play, where you go head-to-head against a human friend or the computer. When facing CPU opponents, you’re matched against a rival wielding metal clubs, which send shots farther than your wooden set. This subtle asymmetry forces you to think creatively: taking safer lay-ups, attacking pins with backspin or hunting better tee-off positions to compensate for the club disparity.

Beyond standard rounds, Hole in One Professional introduces a password system that stores highlights of your best shots—eagles, holes-in-one and even double-eagles. Entering these codes later lets you replay and marvel at your finest moments, offering a built-in incentive to push your skills. Between mastering tricky doglegs, nudging putts across undulating greens and perfecting chip shots from tight lies, the game strikes a satisfying balance of accessibility and challenge.

Graphics

Visually, Hole in One Professional remains faithful to its predecessor’s crisp, sprite-based style. Each hole is laid out with clear fairways, distinct roughs and strategically placed hazards that stand out against lush green backdrops. From a bird’s-eye vantage point, you get a full view of the landscape, allowing for careful shot-planning and an immediate read on wind indicators and course elevation changes.

While animations are modest by today’s standards, the swing sequences are animated smoothly: your golfer backs up, swings through and watches the ball arc across screen. Impact and landing effects—dust clouds in the bunker or gentle ball roll on the green—lend enough feedback to make each stroke feel satisfying. The user interface is tidy, with club selection, power meter and wind gauge all displayed unobtrusively so you never lose sight of the action.

Compared to the original Hole in One, the sequel introduces slightly richer color gradients, more varied course themes (from seaside links to wooded parklands) and sharper hole layouts. Though there’s no attempt at 3D rendering, the artistry in the sprite work and course map design gives each hole character and helps keep long sessions visually engaging.

Story

As a golf simulation, Hole in One Professional doesn’t revolve around an elaborate narrative. Instead, the “story” unfolds through competition: you’re an aspiring pro taking on increasingly skilled opponents across diverse courses. The game’s structure—advancing through tournaments in stroke and match play—provides a natural sense of progression and stakes without needing cut-scene drama or character backstories.

Your principal rival is the computer player wielding metal clubs. Though nameless and silent, this opponent embodies the challenge of climbing the golfing ranks. Password replays of your best shots also serve a narrative function, allowing you to memorialize signature moments (a hole-in-one on the risky 17th, for instance) and revisit them as highlights, reinforcing the heroic arc of your golfing alter-ego.

In lieu of scripted events, the game encourages you to create your own stories: clutch putts under tournament pressure, comeback victories in match play or memorable disasters off the tee. These emergent tales are where the true “plot” lies, turning each round into a personal saga of triumph and redemption on the green.

Overall Experience

Hole in One Professional stands out as a balanced, approachable golf title with enough depth to satisfy veterans. Its top-down presentation keeps the action clear and strategic, while multiple play modes—four-player stroke, one-on-one matches and CPU showdowns—offer strong replay value. The built-in shot-replay password system is a clever addition, rewarding skillful play and giving golfers a reason to pursue spectacular shots.

Although it doesn’t push graphical or audio boundaries, the game’s solid controls, well-designed courses and thoughtful difficulty curve make it a compelling package. Whether you’re looking to share a competitive round with friends or hone your solo game against a challenging CPU, Hole in One Professional delivers consistent entertainment and a genuine sense of accomplishment as you master each hole.

For fans of classic golf sims, HAL Laboratory’s follow-up is a worthy upgrade. It refines the formula established by its predecessor, adds strategic twists and keeps the focus squarely on fun, fair competition. If you appreciate straightforward mechanics, top-down course layouts and the thrill of sinking that perfect shot, this title belongs in your collection.

Retro Replay Score

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