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It's finally here! The one we've all been waiting for. Well, the one some of us have been waiting for. Well, the one I've sort of kept an eye out for.

The best way I can describe 3D Pool is as a cross between Steve Davis Snooker and Carrier Command. What you are in fact presented with is a solid pool table, complete with solid balls, all drawn with filled vectors. What this leaves you with is a table viewable from almost any angle.

When you take a shot, the ball travels in the way the view it's facing (directly forward into the screen). Strength is set by holding down Fire and pushing up or down to set the level indicator. The amount of spin on the ball is set, yet again, by holding down Fire and moving left and right. Topspin is set by the angle of elevation of the view across the table. The higher the viewpoint, the sharper the backspin.

My only problem with the table is that it's small, whereas the balls are quite large. The pockets are a little on the big side too, but that's just nitpicking.

Just to add a little spice to what is already shaping up to be a good game, there are a myriad of options at the start of each game. You can choose to play in a tournament, where the winner goes on to play Maltese Joe himself. Or, you can play a two-player game, practice, watch a demo or even try your hand at one of Maltese's fifteen trick shots.

The opponents are quite tough, even early on. It took me three matches before I finally beat No-Good Nick, who just happens to be the lowest of the low. What Maltese plays like, I'd love to know.

Vectors and the C64 don't normally go together very well, but those oh-so-clever people at Firebird have managed to not only make 3D Pool fast, they've also made it remarkably playable and realistic. That's three in the eye in the Freescape.

Sound is no more than a 'clack' when balls collide and a 'thunk' when one goes down. They add atmosphere, if nothing else - what else could you want - smoker's cough from the audience?

As a pool game, it's better than I expected it was going to be. Like I've said, it's fast, realistic, playable, addictive, fun and it doesn't harm the ozone layer.