In its debut video game release, publisher SyNET Entertainment has brought PC gamers quite a surprising gem in Shot-Online, a grand amalgamation of massively multiplayer online role-playing gameplay and realistic golf simulation. Already available in free download form at the game's website (www.shot-online.com), Shot-Online is an MMO that utilizes the rapidly popularizing system of optional micro-payments at the core of its economy rather than the usual monthly fees, and now with the game hitting retail shelves, the boxed copy comes equipped with a number of nifty goodies, such as $20 in cybercash, free tournament entries and special lottery tickets for in-game items, to get new players off and running better than ever before.

Like any MMORPG, Shot-Online first has you creating a character before joining the game world and interacting with other players from all over the world. Disappointingly, only a handful of base character avatars are available to choose from, each with their own unique starting attribute allotments, and the only bit of initial customization allowed is the mere naming of your character. After choosing a character, the next step is heading into the game's hub world, the Square, where all of the typical MMORPG happenings occur. In the Square, in which you move around via a simple point-and-click navigation system, you can meet and chat with other players, form and join guilds, trade items, buy new clothing and golf equipment with which to outfit and upgrade your character, rest to restore energy after a fatiguing round, or head off for a round.

Before getting involved with too much, it is best to start off by taking advantage of the tutorial and selection of practice areas to learn the ins and outs of the game while building up your character in preparation for the competition ahead. A Driving Range, Short Game Green, Putting Green and a three-hole practice course are necessary practice environments, as they ease you into the game and help you earn a foundation of easy experience and money.

After gaining the much-needed practice experience, the next step is to venture out for real-life competition against other players, and thanks to an intuitive matchmaking system you can join rounds or start your own with ease (or watch in-progress matches in Gallery Mode). In order to play on any one of the game's thirteen courses you must make sure you have enough money to pay the green's fee, with the higher-end courses costing more to play, so make sure to amass a decent money stash in the practice area beforehand.

When creating your own game for others to join, there is an abundance of modes and options to set. Game types include Stroke, Match, Scratch, Skins, Foursome, Four-ball and Mastery, all of which can support up to four-player groupings per round, and to make sure the competition is balanced you can choose to only permit players around your level to join your game. For the sake of saving time, the game also presents options to play in 1, 3, 6, 9 or 18-hole round intervals and limit how long each player has on their turn (as low as 30 seconds a turn). Unfortunately, even with these time-saving settings in place, playing a full 18-hole round of golf with a full party of four can take upwards of a couple of hours, depending on how much of the allotted time each player takes to setup and execute their shots and if a group becomes particularly slow some boredom definitely starts to creep in. Playing solo is always an option if you want to squeeze in a quick round, however experience is gained much faster by competing against others, so it's not the best way to go if you're looking to advance in level quickly.

Character progression is Shot-Online's most satisfying feature, hands down, just as it should be in any MMO-type game. Performance dictates how your character grows, as higher experience and monetary rewards are earned based on how well you score per hole, with extra side money bonuses given for accurate shots, chipping in, sinking a long putt, scoring a hole-in-one and setting new personal records. Once enough experience is earned, your character levels up in conventional RPG fashion, awarding you with skill points to put towards raising your character's stats (Power, Impact, Skill and Stamina). As you advance in level, earn enough money to purchase better equipment and increase skill attributes, you immediately see the fruits of your labor start to blossom, as your character slowly but surely begins to gain longer shot distances, higher accuracy and better spin control. Words really can't describe just how rewarding it is to experience the direct correlation between how well you play and how your golfer grows - needless to say, this is one of the main factor that makes Shot-Online so addictive and satisfying.

The game's website also ties heavily into character building, solely because of the Item Mall that allows you to pay real cash for top quality in-game equipment for your character. $10 US gets you 1,000 units of cybercash to put towards new equipment and special membership packages, but 1,000 units doesn't go very far, so if you really take things seriously you can wind up spending a good deal of money! Currently the Item Mall can only be found on the website, but the feature is also being added directly into the game world via an NPC merchant sometime down the road as the game continues to expand.

By now you're probably eager to know how the actual golf gameplay works. It's really rather simple, as the game uses the classic three-click swing system that golfing video games have been using since the very beginning of their existence; you click to start the swing, click again to stop the power meter at the desired strength, and then click a third and final time as the meter comes back to the starting point to determine the shot's accuracy. Initially the swing timing is rather tough to become accustomed with, especially pertaining to stopping the swing with good accuracy, but it doesn't take too long to get used to it enough to be successful, and overall the mechanics are solid and effective.

Putting, on the other hand, has a much higher learning curve. On the greens you're only given a grid indicating the slope for you to base your reading of how a putt will break, and even tougher, there is not so much as even the slightest hint as to how hard you are supposed to strike any given putt - so distance control is a complete guessing game at first. Because of this, plenty of practice time is needed to grasp putting the ball in the hole with any sort of consistency. [I'm getting visions of Happy Gilmore… "Why couldn't you go home, ball? Are you too good for your home?" I love that film! Ed] Then again, the gameplay only becomes more and more satisfying the more time and effort you put into it, so somewhat of a steep learning curve isn't necessarily a bad thing, depending on how you plan to approach the game.

Honestly, the only area where Shot-Online needed some more work was in its presentation. The colorful, anime art style is appealing and the swing and impact sound effects are fine and dandy, but other than that there just isn't any enthusiasm. Character models are blocky and stiffly animated, environmental textures are blurry and low-res, the music is soothing but extremely repetitive and the on-course ambiance consists of birds chirping and that's about it. Originating as a free downloadable game, expecting the latest and greatest production values is obviously asking way too much, and to be fair the game doesn't look or sound terrible, but when it comes down to it, there is no denying that the graphics and audio presented here are outdated in many respects.

Average presentation notwithstanding, Shot-Online proves itself a champion where it matters most - the gameplay. The unique melding of realistic golf simulation with MMORPG-style character progression, online community interaction, micro-payment economics and periodic tournaments and special events amounts to one of the most fun and rewarding videogame sports experiences I have played in a good while. There is a steep learning curve to get around in the beginning, but if you stay the course and put time into practicing and building an effective character the satisfaction you'll find in the end is well worth the effort. Watch out Tiger Woods, there's a new golf addiction to reckon with, and its name is Shot-Online.

Reviewed by Matt Litten for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).