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This game arrived in the CF office very late in the schedule but thank your lucky stars that we managed to squeeze it in because it's splendid. Don't confuse this with Firebird's 3D Pool which had a table viewable from any angle. This is nowhere near as technically brilliant as that... but it does play exceedingly well nevertheless.

There are loads of game options. Play on your own, against a friend, against up to seven friends in the tournament, against the computer in a tournament, play trick shots... ooh, I could go on all day.

Playing against the computer is a hoot but it's also a little strange. Quite often your C64 will make an appalling shot making you think it's crap. Once it's lulled you into this false sense of security it cleans up, leaving you with a dozen eggs on your face, grade A at that.

The screen display is nice and clear with a 2D representation of the table on which you can line up your shot. Once you've done this and set the power and spin of the shot it switches to the 3D screen. This is fast and glitch-free and adds to the overall realism a great deal.

Being American pool, the rules can appear odd at first but you soon get the hang of them. The trick shot option is great fun too, if a little easy. There are ten different ball configurations or tricks to complete. In some you have to pot all the balls with just one shot. In others you only have to pot specified balls. All you have to do is work out where to aim your shot, how hard to hit it, and whether or not to spin it. American 3D Pool is a neat, visually appealing and, above all, massively playable.

A marvellous game that oozes playability. Me and the Ed spent hours playing this and only stopped when the office had to be locked up!