Even after the story ends, you can continue to build your character. Sadly, unless you own a Gamecube and a link cable, you will never unlock everything since linking the two is required to get everything out of the game. Certain characters will remain a mystery until you shell out the cash for a Gamecube, copy of Mario Golf for the system, and a link cable. In other words, it will cost you at least $170 to be able to access everything not including the price of the Game Boy Advance itself. Good marketing? Yes. Fair for the gamer? No.

Excellent multi-player modes are also available which allow you to either take your own characters against each other or any of the unlocked characters. Numerous modes of play from the wacky club slots (where your clubs are determined by a slot machine before each hole), to standard match play are available. You can even trade clubs between carts.

The graphics package included here is strong and comes from the same people who created the well-respected RPG series "Golden Sun." The mode-7 courses look great form a distance, almost polygonal at times. Up close, they obviously reveal nasty clumps of enlarged pixels. The rendered character models after every hole are quite impressive and the special Star courses are a treat to die-hard Nintendo fans.

The sound on the other hand, is disappointing. The music tracks sound great, but their short length means they repeat themselves multiple times on one hole. Character chatter is represented by simple beeps, a Camelot trademark. Any voice work comes through clear and concise and the characters have some minor quotes as well.

Mario Golf is one of those games that will not catch on with the masses, but the die-hard who attach themselves to it will be talking about it, not to mention still playing it, years from now. Though the story mode blows by and is a bit of a disappointment, their really is no real end to the game and your sure to get your moneys worth...that is of course as long as you have a Gamecube, link cable, Mario Golf GC, and Mario Golf Advance Tour.