<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1998	O
golf	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
American	O
studio	O
Friendly	O
Software	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
fourth	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
series	O
,	O
following	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
3.0	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1999	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
features	O
four	O
golf	O
courses	O
:	O
The	O
Links	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Teeth	O
of	O
the	O
Dog	O
,	O
both	O
at	O
Casa	O
de	O
Campo	O
in	O
the	O
Dominican	O
Republic	O
;	O
and	O
Lake	O
Michigan	O
's	O
Bay	O
Harbor	O
Golf	O
Club	O
,	O
and	O
The	O
Preserve	O
9	O
at	O
Bay	O
Harbor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
supports	O
multiplayer	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
,	O
with	O
various	O
options	O
such	O
as	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
and	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Internet	B-Application
Gaming	I-Application
Zone	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
series	O
are	O
basic	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
Links	B-Application
golfing	O
games	O
by	O
Access	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
's	O
previous	O
golf	O
games	O
are	O
also	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
versions	O
of	O
the	O
Links	B-Application
games	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
being	O
published	O
for	O
DOS	B-Device
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
and	O
Access	O
Software	O
ended	O
their	O
partnership	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
latter	O
began	O
developing	O
Links	B-Application
for	O
Windows	O
,	O
making	O
their	O
series	O
a	O
direct	O
rival	O
to	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
,	O
Microsoft	O
chose	O
Friendly	O
Software	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
uses	O
a	O
revamped	O
design	O
that	O
is	O
substantially	O
different	O
from	O
its	O
predecessors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Friendly	O
Software	O
previously	O
developed	O
Greg	O
Norman	O
Ultimate	O
Challenge	O
Golf	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
uses	O
the	O
same	O
game	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
uses	O
DirectDraw	B-Device
for	O
graphics	O
rendering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
month	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
company	O
Eddie	O
Bauer	O
partnered	O
to	O
promote	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	O
Special	O
Edition	O
,	O
a	O
basic	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
featuring	O
only	O
the	O
Preserve	O
9	O
course	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
basic	O
demo	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
full	O
game	O
,	O
titled	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	O
Lite	O
and	O
featuring	O
only	O
the	O
Preserve	O
9	O
course	O
,	O
was	O
included	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
Plus	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
critics	O
considered	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
to	O
be	O
a	O
significant	O
improvement	O
over	O
its	O
predecessors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
stated	O
that	O
veteran	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
would	O
be	O
surprised	O
by	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
,	O
while	O
people	O
who	O
ignored	O
its	O
predecessors	O
for	O
their	O
lack	O
of	O
depth	O
"	O
finally	O
have	O
a	O
reason	O
to	O
take	O
another	O
look	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gordon	O
Goble	O
of	O
Gamecenter	B-Operating_System
stated	O
that	O
nearly	O
everything	O
about	O
the	O
series	O
had	O
been	O
changed	O
for	O
the	O
better	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
graphics	O
were	O
praised	O
,	O
although	O
some	O
critics	O
still	O
considered	O
them	O
inferior	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
Links	B-Application
LS	I-Application
1998	I-Application
and	O
Jack	B-Application
Nicklaus	I-Application
5	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Poole	O
considered	O
the	O
graphics	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
the	O
biggest	O
area	O
of	O
improvement	O
,	O
"	O
stating	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
nearly	O
as	O
good	O
as	O
the	O
latest	O
Links	B-Application
and	O
Jack	O
Nicklaus	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dennis	O
Lynch	O
of	O
the	O
Chicago	O
Tribune	O
considered	O
the	O
Natural	O
Swing	O
"	O
anything	O
but	O
natural	O
,	O
"	O
although	O
he	O
praised	O
the	O
various	O
game	O
options	O
and	O
the	O
Internet	B-Application
Gaming	I-Application
Zone	I-Application
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
May	O
was	O
disappointed	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
unlike	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
is	O
not	O
compatible	O
with	O
courses	O
from	O
the	O
Links	B-Application
series	O
or	O
the	O
earlier	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
comparison	O
to	O
rival	O
golf	O
games	O
,	O
Goble	O
called	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
a	O
"	O
promising	O
amateur	O
in	O
a	O
world	O
of	O
seasoned	O
veterans.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Sales	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
poor	O
;	O
among	O
computer	O
games	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
1998	I-Application
Edition	I-Application
ranked	O
232nd	O
for	O
sales	O
during	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
