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Here's your chance to play snooker against the Romford maestro, and even beat him. Steve 'Interesting' David apparently endorsed this program, and it must be said that it's a pretty accurate computer representation of the game.

The table is illustrated on screen in Mode 2, with green cushions and a black playing surface - which causes a few problems straight away, like how do you show the black ball? (Answer, a white circle, black inside. Similarly the brown is really green and red.) Also, Mode 2 graphics only allow fairly rough-and-ready shapes: the balls are chunky crosses.

Before you start, you select the speed of the table (fast, normal or slow), decide whether to play against an opponent or the computer or yourself (good for practising) then, if you're playing the computer, elect just how good your opponent (S Davis Esq) is going to be, from 9 (unbeatable) to 1 (frankly pretty ropey). When it's your turn to pot, you use the keyboard to position a hairline cross exactly where you want to hit the target ball, to define the spin and pace of the cue ball, and to fire.

The results are generally much the same as when I play on a real table - balls rocketing everywhere, the occasional fluky pot, a foul stroke every now and again, and a very rare brilliant snooker. The computer keeps score and does everything else that nice man with the white gloves does, asking if you'd like your opponent to play again after a foul stroke, and so on.

The balls don't move around the table exactly like the real thing but, all things considered, the animation is fairly smooth. A bit of sound might help: surely it wouldn't slow things down too much to have a click when balls collide? It's quite enjoyable to play, fairly frustrating (just like the real thing) and, believe me, immensely satisfying when you land Smug Davis in an unplayable snooker.

Jeffery Pike