Microsoft’s flagship online service, Live, has swelled into a 6 million-member community that offers everything from video chat and game videos to movie rentals and television downloads. Amidst the wealth of options, Xbox Live Arcade has flourished, providing casual and hardcore gamers alike with retro and original titles. The latest title top be added to the 54-game roster is Sierra Online’s 3D Ultra MiniGolf.

            For 800 Microsoft points ($10), Live members can download MiniGolf and explore the cheapest greens in the galaxy. The game offers 36 holes spread across a variety of courses, ranging from the classic western-themed offerings to the trippy links found only in outer space. After choosing one of four cartoony golfers, players choose their courses in a tournament-style single player mode that matches them against competent, yet random, AI opponents. The single player mode is satisfying, with the real pull being the quest for achievements and coveted leaderboard positions.
In addition to the tournaments, MiniGolf offers a course creator, in which the player can choose from a selection of tiles and create their own minigolf holes with tees, power-ups, twists, turns, and crazy water hazards. The controls for the creator are simple, and a punishing course can be created in mere minutes to upload to play online with friend and foe alike.

Which brings us to the real meat of the game: multiplayer. Available for 2 to 4 players, multiplayer shines in Sierra’s wacky little golfer, with tournament, single play, and custom made matches accessible. The custom matches will be the game’s staying power and ultimate saving grace. The 4-player bouts are reminiscent of the casual and social aspect of XBLA’s Uno, or Texas Hold ‘Em. The players take turns, so conversations can flow without having to worry about the precision, timing, or difficulty of the game.
Multiplayer, coupled with silky smooth gameplay, relatively quick load times, and the simplest controls I have ever seen in a golfing game, pushes 3D Ultra Minigolf to the top of the XBLA charts, settling in among such casual classics as Uno, Bankshot Billiards, and Marbleblast Ultra.