Billiards

Billiards is a fantastic 3D video game that captures the skills and precision of real life billiard games. You are not tied to one repetitive game, there are five games to choose from, each with slightly different rules and regulations.

The five games are:

9-Ball: A straight-forward with nine numbered balls. The goal of the game is to pocket all the balls in ascending order, with the winner being the first one to legally pocket the nine-ball. It is possible to play solo, working through the balls to the end, but the game is more fun for two. The first player breaks and takes his or her first shot to sink the 1-ball, continuing until he or she misses a shot. Then the second player takes their turn, continuing to pocket the balls until they miss, and so on. Very good players can clear the table in one continuous turn!

8-Ball: Unlike 9-Ball which features nine balls, 8-Ball is named for the singular eight-ball itself. The game is also called Solids (or Spots) and Stripes. There are seven numbered solid balls, seven numbered striped balls and the eight ball. Like 9-Ball players must work through in ascending order with the first to pot the eight-ball the winner. Each player works only on their own set of balls, with penalties for potting the eight-ball too early or for potting their competitor's balls.

3-Ball: A variation of 9-Ball, the aim of 3-Ball is to pot all three balls in the correct order and in as few shots as possible. This is less a game and more a demonstration of cue skills!

Straight Pool (or 14.1): This version of the game used to be the competition standard before it was overtaken by faster, more streamlined versions of the game. Any ball is fair game and the players are aiming to reach a certain number of points, pre-agreed before play begins. The skill of straight pool comes with its being a call-pocket game in which the player must state which ball they are going to pot in a specified pocket.

Snooker: Snooker features 15 red balls valued at one point each and six coloured balls, each with a different value. The red balls are racked and the coloured balls placed on points at intervals around the table. The balls are potted in the right order to gain more points than one's opponent and the game is won after a set number of frames have been played.

The game graphics work well and provide a surprisingly authentic playing experience that is sure to appeal to billiards fans. It is possible to control spin with the placement of a red dot on the ball's surface. There is an arrow that extends forward in the direction of play, but this does not aid the player by showing precisely where it will strike the ball, nor does it predict the motion of the ball after the strike has been made.

There is a choice of camera views to help the player ascertain the best angle of play, and it is possible to speed up time that would otherwise be wasting waiting for the ball to come to rest and in between plays. The player does not have to worry about keeping score as a digital scoreboard automatically racks up the points.

Pros

• Good graphics
• Surprisingly authentic-feeling gameplay, good physics engine for ball motion

Cons