Microsoft announced that the Links Championship Edition ships today to retail locations throughout North America, and should start appearing on store shelves soon. In Links Championship Edition, you can play on any of 13 world-class courses as or against six tour pros, plus a large selection of amateurs, and design your dream course with over 1,600 objects to choose from. It will be available for an estimated street price of $54.95, with a $20 USD mail-in rebate for owners of Links 2001. (Please see package for details.)

Links Championship Edition is the most complete Links golf experience ever offered in one box. It features:

• Links 2001, including the 1.21 update

• Links Expansion Pack, Volume 1

• Arnold Palmer Course Designer

• Links 2001 Course Converter

• Four new golf courses: Pennsylvania's Oakmont Country Club, Australia's Royal Melbourne, The Frankfurter Golf Club of Germany, and The Judge Course at Capitol Hill from the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama 

Microsoft also announced a second Links Expansion Pack is scheduled to ship in November, in time for the 2001 Holiday season. It will feature all-new courses, new players, and more utilities for Links 2001 and Links Championship Edition. More details coming soon.

The most significant upgrade to the Links series in over a decade, Links 2001 features a rendering engine that delivers unprecedented ball physics and graphics; as well as the Arnold Palmer Course Designer, which allows PC golfers to re-create their home courses with the same tools used by the Links 2001 team. A new dynamic camera feature allows players to view each shot from different perspectives. Links 2001 offers gamers new tour players including Sergio Garcia, Annika Sorenstam, Mike Weir, and more, as well as new golfer animations and personalities, customizable club distances that allow for an even more accurate re-creation of a player's actual game, and faster and easier online play. Additionally, the long-awaited Arnold Palmer Course Designer (APCD) makes its debut in Links 2001. The APCD provides users with the power and versatility to accurately recreate courses in a powerful, real-time 3D system. Players can tweak every inch of fairway with the APCD, and create tunnels and arches with full control over each point on the course. Over 300 fan courses created with the APCD are available free of charge online. (Visit www.linkscountryclub.com for a list of sites under the "Downloads" section.)

For more on Links 2001, go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/games/links2001/

Click HERE to view a list of Links Championship Edition FAQ's provided by Microsoft.