A winning combination. (Sharepak) (Column)
by Steve Draper

The long days of summer are winding down, and fall is approaching. To help all you sportsmen out there get through this winter, we present Tournament Golf 1.5. This simulation is so much like the real thing that you'll feel the hot sun beating down on you even on the coldest day. And to help you keep up with Tournament Golf and all the other files on your computer, we offer QFILER 3.2A. It's one of the best file managers we've ever seen.

Each month, COMPUTE's SharePak brings you the best programs on the shareware market. You don't need to

spend long hours and hard-earned

dollars browsing the boards for great programs; we do it for you. Consequently, you get top-of-the-line programs at a huge savings.

QFILER 3.2A

QFILER is designed to make the management of your hard disk files much easier. Two different, sorted directories are displayed side by side, allowing you to select both individual files and groups of files for QFILER to act on. You can easily copy and delete files, find a file on any drive, rename files and directories, move files from one directory to another, run other programs from within QFILER, display files in sorted order, define a file mask to display only certain files, back up files, and much more.

Most of the features in this impressive list can be performed from the DOS command prompt. However, with QFILER's dual directory display, tasks become much easier than with DOS, and more intuitive. You don't have to worry about the confusing syntax of DOS commands or about not being sure of what each command will do. You can see exactly what you're doing as it happens.

For the advanced DOS user, QFILER offers a number of file-management tools, allowing you to set or clear file attributes, change the file time and date stamps of files, rename disk volume labels, use file-compression utilities, and locate duplicate files. You may never want to use DOS again.

QFILER runs on any IBM PC or compatible with 256K RAM and any monitor. The registration price is $20.

TOURNAMENT GOLF 1.5

Tournament Golf is an excellent simulation of one of the world's most popular sports. The game is very easy to learn, with only a few keys used to control all of the options, yet it's challenging enough to keep you involved for months. This game surpasses many of the commercial golf games in quality, ease of use, and playability.

The action takes place on the Augusta International course, the site of the Masters golf tournament. The course is beautifully rendered with 3-D graphics, and the motions of the player's swing and the ball's flight are smoothly and realistically animated.

Up to four players can play at a time, or you can practice your golfing skills solo. Either way, you'll see why the tournament that is played on this course is called the Masters. There are numerous obstacles to overcome. Trees line the fairways, sand surrounds many of the greens, and water hazards are abundant and strategically placed. These obstacles combine to make every shot a challenge.

When you're ready to play, the program gives you an overhead view of the hole that you're currently on. Use this view to plan your strategy for the hole. When you're done, hit the space bar, and you're ready to tee off. Select the club you want to use and get ready to start swinging. Use the space bar to control the swing Power Meter. The Power Meter determines how hard you hit the shot and also how accurate the shot will be. Be careful when you make contact with the ball; it's easy to put a slice or hook in your shot--just like in the real thing.

Another great feature of Tournament Golf is the computer's realistic scorecard, which frees you from having to keep track of bogies and birdies. You can relax and concentrate on the game itself, instead of worrying about hanging on to the little pencil.

To run this program, you'll need an IBM PC or compatible, a monitor with EGA or better, and a hard disk or a high-density floppy drive. The registration price for Tournament Golf is $9.50.