Sinclair User


Professional Snooker Simulator

Author: John Gilbert
Publisher: Codemasters
Machine: Spectrum 48K/128K

 
Published in Sinclair User #60

Professional Snooker Simulator

Not another snooker simulation! That's right, it's not. but it is one of the best snooker games I've seen. It's keyboard driven; you can't use a joystick at all. Only slightly perturbed by this I selected the English language version of the game and, lined up my first shot with the rotating cue.

Moving the cue around the cue ball - quickly clockwise or very slowly anti-clockwise - a window at the top of the display shows a cue's-eye view of any white/coloured ball line ups.

This display is there to help judge the spin on the ball. If the cue hits the edge of a red that red will spin more than if it had been hit smack in the middle. In addition a ball hit on the left will spin to the right, so you've got to get the angle right. It's two-player only - no chance to stuff the computer which is irritating. The force of the cue is set by the length of time between the first and second presses of the keyboard Fire button. The longer the time the lighter the tap.

I potted a red, on about my fifth visit to the table, and I got to nominate a colour, by pressing it's value, two for yellow up to seven for black. The idea is to clear the reds and then pot the colours in order of points value - starting with yellow. I didn't mange it. Still I managed to clear most of the reds during one of my practice visits to the table, and managed to knock up a break of 19.

It feels realistic and is graphically excellent - you might be put off that you can't play against the computer however.

Overall Summary

Graphically better even than Steve Davis Snooker, from CDS. But you can't play against the computer.

John Gilbert

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