Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition

Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition features four golf courses: The Links, and Teeth of the Dog, both at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic; and Lake Michigan's Bay Harbor Golf Club, and The Preserve 9 at Bay Harbor. The latter is a 9-hole course, while the other three each contain 18 holes. The game features five game modes: Bingo Bango Bongo, match, scramble, skins, and stroke. Four golf swing methods are featured, including Natural Swing and Sim Swing; the former method uses the motion of a computer mouse to simulate the swing, while the latter option has the game take the swing for the player, who has no involvement in the process. The game also features regular two-click and three-click swing methods that are common to golfing games.

The player can also choose pin placement, and has a variety of camera angles and replay options. Wind and weather can also be customized. The game includes commentary from David Feherty, who reacts to the player's golfing. Ten golfer models are featured, including males and females of varying skin tones, and the player can use a variety of options to customize the character. The game supports multiplayer for up to four players, with various options such as LAN and Microsoft's Internet Gaming Zone.

The previous games in the Microsoft Golf series are basic versions of the Links games by Access Software. Microsoft and Access Software ended their partnership in 1996, when the latter began developing Links for Windows, putting it in direct competition with Microsoft Golf. For Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition, Microsoft chose Friendly Software to develop the game, which uses a revamped design that is substantially different from its predecessors. Friendly Software previously developed Greg Norman Ultimate Challenge Golf, and Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition uses the same game engine. The game uses DirectDraw for graphics rendering.

Some critics considered Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition to be a significant improvement over its predecessors. Stephen Poole of GameSpot wrote that "the only way you'd know it had anything to do with the previous versions is from the name." Scott A. May of Computer Gaming World praised the game for retaining "the polished, user-friendly feel of the previous versions, but little else."

He stated that veteran fans of the series would be surprised by Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition, while people who ignored its predecessors for their lack of depth "finally have a reason to take another look" at the series. Gordon Goble of Gamecenter stated that nearly everything about the series had been changed for the better with the release of Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition. Paul Rosano of Hartford Courant called it "a worthwhile and successful, albeit overdue, upgrade."