<s>
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1997	O
sports	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
LookingGlass	O
Technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
simulation	O
of	O
The	O
Open	O
Championship	O
,	O
it	O
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
multiple	O
forms	O
of	O
golf	B-Application
,	O
including	O
stroke	O
play	O
and	O
fourball	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
competes	O
at	O
reproductions	O
of	O
the	O
Royal	O
Troon	O
Golf	B-Application
Club	O
and	O
the	O
Old	O
Course	O
at	O
St.	O
Andrews	O
as	O
and	O
against	O
famous	O
golfers	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
was	O
the	O
third	O
self-published	O
game	O
released	O
by	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
Technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
directed	O
by	O
Rex	O
Bradford	O
,	O
designer	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
golf	B-Application
title	O
Mean	B-Device
18	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
sought	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
accurate	O
simulation	O
of	O
tournament	O
golf	B-Application
play	O
,	O
which	O
they	O
felt	O
was	O
missing	O
in	O
the	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
placed	O
in	O
competition	O
with	O
popular	O
golf	B-Application
series	O
such	O
as	O
Links	B-Application
and	O
PGA	O
Tour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
is	O
a	O
three-dimensional	O
(	O
3D	O
)	O
video	O
game	O
that	O
simulates	O
golf	B-Application
,	O
a	O
sport	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
attempt	O
to	O
hit	O
a	O
ball	O
into	O
a	O
hole	O
with	O
as	O
few	O
strokes	O
as	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
particular	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
The	O
Open	O
Championship	O
,	O
the	O
oldest	O
tournament	O
in	O
golf	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
other	O
golf	B-Application
games	O
,	O
a	O
"	O
swing	O
meter	O
"	O
is	O
used	O
to	O
simulate	O
the	O
act	O
of	O
swinging	O
the	O
club	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
may	O
choose	O
one	O
of	O
two	O
courses	O
:	O
the	O
Royal	O
Troon	O
Golf	B-Application
Club	O
and	O
the	O
Old	O
Course	O
at	O
St.	O
Andrews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
's	O
caddie	B-Application
provides	O
information	O
about	O
the	O
pitfalls	O
and	O
idiosyncrasies	O
of	O
each	O
course	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
a	O
match	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
uses	O
information	O
on	O
the	O
heads-up	B-Application
display	I-Application
to	O
determine	O
such	O
factors	O
as	O
wind	O
speed	O
and	O
direction	O
,	O
the	O
ball	O
's	O
distance	O
from	O
the	O
flag	O
and	O
the	O
height	O
difference	O
between	O
the	O
ball	O
and	O
the	O
hole	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Looking	O
Glass	O
Technologies	O
began	O
developing	O
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
in	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
was	O
led	O
by	O
Rex	O
Bradford	O
,	O
designer	O
of	O
the	O
influential	O
1986	O
golf	B-Application
title	O
Mean	B-Device
18	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
had	O
also	O
worked	O
on	O
earlier	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Terra	B-Application
Nova	I-Application
:	I-Application
Strike	I-Application
Force	I-Application
Centauri	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bradford	O
decided	O
to	O
revisit	O
the	O
golf	B-Application
genre	O
because	O
he	O
felt	O
that	O
other	O
games	O
did	O
not	O
recreate	O
the	O
structure	O
or	O
capture	O
the	O
atmosphere	O
of	O
golf	B-Application
tournaments	O
;	O
he	O
complained	O
that	O
golf	B-Application
titles	O
took	O
place	O
on	O
"	O
The	O
Lonely	O
Planet	O
of	O
Golf	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
sought	O
to	O
fill	O
this	O
perceived	O
void	O
by	O
more	O
accurately	O
simulating	O
the	O
tournament	O
experience	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
particular	O
focus	O
on	O
crowds	O
,	O
commentary	O
,	O
atmosphere	O
and	O
the	O
caddie	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Graphically	O
,	O
a	O
focus	O
was	O
placed	O
on	O
buildings	O
and	O
animated	O
objects	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
make	O
up	O
for	O
the	O
less	O
spectacular	O
nature	O
of	O
links	B-Application
courses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
environments	O
were	O
generated	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
stereophotogrammetry	B-Algorithm
techniques	O
used	O
to	O
create	O
the	O
landscapes	O
in	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
earlier	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Looking	O
Glass	O
officially	O
announced	O
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
on	O
July	O
18	O
,	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Bradford	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
"	O
hoping	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
splash	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
placed	O
in	O
competition	O
with	O
popular	O
series	O
such	O
as	O
Links	B-Application
and	O
PGA	O
Tour	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
was	O
distributed	O
and	O
marketed	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
published	O
in	O
Europe	O
by	O
Eidos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
like	O
Flight	B-Application
Unlimited	I-Application
and	O
Terra	O
Nova	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
self-published	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
by	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
1997	O
,	O
near	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
,	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
moved	O
to	O
Thief	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
Project	I-Application
;	O
this	O
included	O
Mark	O
Lizotte	O
,	O
who	O
became	O
that	O
game	O
's	O
lead	O
artist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
30	O
,	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
May	O
,	O
Looking	O
Glass	O
collaborated	O
with	O
golf	B-Application
website	O
GolfWeb	O
to	O
host	O
a	O
"	O
Virtual	O
British	O
Open	O
"	O
tournament	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
failure	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
reviewer	O
for	O
Next	O
Generation	O
Magazine	O
hailed	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
golf	B-Application
games	O
in	O
years	O
"	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
atmosphere	O
and	O
calling	O
the	O
graphics	O
"	O
among	O
the	O
best	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
writer	O
cited	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
a	O
course	O
editor	O
as	O
its	O
main	O
downside	O
,	O
and	O
summarized	O
,	O
"	O
If	O
you	O
are	O
looking	O
for	O
a	O
golf	B-Application
simulation	O
,	O
this	O
one	O
delivers.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Jeff	O
Guinn	O
of	O
the	O
Fort	O
Worth	O
Star-Telegram	O
called	O
its	O
graphics	O
"	O
exceptional	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
considered	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
far	O
from	O
the	O
traditional	O
aim/swing	O
links	B-Application
pseudo-challenge.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
he	O
liked	O
its	O
gameplay	O
,	O
he	O
noted	O
that	O
it	O
lacked	O
the	O
genre	O
refinements	O
seen	O
in	O
Links	B-Application
LS	O
,	O
a	O
decision	O
he	O
believed	O
would	O
appeal	O
to	O
genre	O
novices	O
but	O
not	O
to	O
veterans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ending	O
his	O
review	O
,	O
Whitta	O
summarized	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
user-friendly	O
,	O
accessible	O
,	O
atmospheric	O
and	O
attractive	O
golf	B-Application
games	O
out	O
there	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Peter	O
Smith	O
of	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Magazine	O
found	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
swinging	O
mechanics	O
challenging	O
,	O
and	O
noted	O
that	O
"	O
making	O
a	O
dead-on	O
accurate	O
shot	O
much	O
more	O
difficult	O
than	O
in	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
other	O
golf	B-Application
games	O
out	O
there.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
found	O
the	O
mechanics	O
of	O
the	O
putting	O
green	O
to	O
be	O
badly	O
designed	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
cited	O
as	O
"	O
an	O
incredibly	O
serious	O
flaw	O
that	O
takes	O
British	B-Application
Open	I-Application
Championship	I-Application
Golf	I-Application
out	O
of	O
contention	O
for	O
the	O
gold	O
cup.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
he	O
recommended	O
Links	B-Application
LS	O
and	O
Jack	O
Nicklaus	O
4	O
over	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
but	O
suggested	O
that	O
future	O
installments	O
or	O
patches	O
might	O
fix	O
the	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
May	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
solid	O
,	O
but	O
...	O
somewhat	O
unspectacular	O
"	O
compared	O
to	O
Jack	O
Nicklaus	O
4	O
and	O
Links	B-Application
LS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
links	B-Application
courses	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
a	O
somewhat	O
desolate	O
look	O
and	O
feel	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
,	O
"	O
Historic	O
or	O
not	O
,	O
the	O
scenery	O
is	O
downright	O
dull	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
considered	O
Jim	O
McKay	O
's	O
commentary	O
and	O
the	O
simulated	O
physics	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
high	O
points	O
,	O
and	O
he	O
believed	O
that	O
,	O
"	O
More	O
so	O
than	O
any	O
other	O
golf	B-Application
sim	O
,	O
the	O
reactive	O
crowd	O
and	O
interactive	O
caddie	B-Application
are	O
...	O
totally	O
integrated	O
into	O
play.	O
"	O
</s>
