A fictional video game that was depicted as a joke in a classic episode of The Simpsons has been adapted into a playable game.
Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge was featured in the popular season five episode “Marge Be Not Proud” as an implausibly boring golf game that Bart Simpson receives for Christmas.
Now, a designer called Aaron Demeter has faithfully recreated the idea as a browser-based game, complete with much of the original audio.
Series writer Bill Oakley praised the game on Twitter, writing: “All Simpsons fans must check out this fantastic PLAYABLE VERSION of Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge.”
The game is a rudimentary golf simulator, in which players can select a club and “force of swing”, which includes the options of “feather touch” and “power drive”.
In “Marge Be Not Proud”, Bart loses his mother’s trust after stealing a copy of “Bonestorm”, a Mortal Kombat parody game, from the local supermarket. “Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge” is suggested to Bart as a cheaper alternative when he realises he cannot afford his preferred game.
Lee Carvallo is a fictional golfer who was invented for the purposes of the episode, and was voiced by Dan Castellaneta, the actor who plays Homer.
Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge isn’t the only time The Simpsons has been adapted into a video game.
The seminal animation has served as the basis for several games in the years since its debut, including the 2003 Grand Theft Auto-style driving game The Simpsons: Hit and Run.
Hit and Run is still remembered fondly by fans of the series, who routinely petition the game’s creators asking for a remastered re-release.
