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Though you won't need a cue, chalk or a pocketful of change, some experience of pool is a help. Unfortunately, the instructions on the cassette inlay are set in minute type - so getting in the mood with a beer or two, makes reading the rules doubly difficult.

Of the sixteen balls on the table, seven are solid colour (lows), seven are striped (highs) one is the cue ball, the other the eight ball. Highs and lows are the equivalent of what you may know as spots and stripes. The first person to sink a ball continues with the same colour until all seven are down, then they must sink the eight ball or black to win. But pot the black before your own colours are down or sink the white while going for the black and you lose the match.

No scoring is needed for Pool, as sinking the ball gives you an extra shot.

You are restricted to a plan view of the table, and the cue-ball; pressing the V key switches the balls' path on or off.

Once you are satisfied with the angles, a larger ball and a power meter appear above the table. By moving the joystick around, a small dot travels around the ball. Place it at the top and you get top spin and so on. How hard you press the joystick button chooses how hard the ball is hit. As soon as the button is released, the ball moves off.

Pool table pockets are larger than those on snooker tables and these seemed larger still. No skill levels are built into the game, but a random element is built into the strength selector giving the occasional mis-cue.

The graphics are good but restricted by the game, and the high resolution (black and white) are the easiest on the eye. The sound is as realistic as you could get, apart from the odd irritating beep here and there.