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Why spend £25.99 on Infogrames' Billiards II Simulator when, for a pound less, you could pick up the renowned Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker? Or, for a great deal less, why not plump instead for MicroProse's 3D Pool on budget?

The answer is, because neither of these options would let you play 'billiards', of course. And in going for one of the other games you'd also miss out on some of Billiards II Simulator's wackier, French features, such as the options to play 'crazy pool' on an octagonal table with one pocket in the middle (it'll do ordinary pool as well), and the slightly peculiar main menu screen with its pool hall sound effects. That being said though, taking up either of the other options would see you ending up with a much better game.

Billiards II's main problem is the near impossibility of lining up a short properly. In 2D mode, even with the help of the rather cumbersome 'ball path' option, it's very hard to tell where the ball's going to go. It's a bit easier in 3D mode, but the table rotates in such large increments that any level of accuracy is very tricky indeed. The shot-strength meter doesn't help matters either. It wobbles up and down, and you have to try to stop it in the right position - a very silly idea indeed. The whole game's pretty silly, actually. It's awkward to play, lacks any sort of coherent 'feel' and just doesn't make the grade.

Might just about be okay if there weren't any other 3D pool/snooker games around. But there are, so it's not.