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Wow, have we got a game here? (Three-ball in middle right.) Rack 'Em is not just a pool game (six-ball in bottom with double rebound clipping nine-ball into middle right. Game over - rack 'em up and get me an ice cold sarsaparilla).

Rack 'Em is basically a pool game which gives you the three most popular versions of the game: straight pool, eight-ball and nine-ball pool. On top of that it throws in snooker, a set of ten trick shots you can execute, and a custom game option that lets you invent and set up any game you like. Just to make things even more impressive, you can save any shot you like and replay it. Now that's what I call value.

Don't worry if you don't know the rules of the pool games because they're all explained at the back of the manual. And the program is designed in such a way that you can't go far wrong - or cheat.

The play screen looks like most snooker-type games, with an overhead view of the complete table. At the bottom, there's a text area with two supposed 'commentators' on either side of the screen, whose job is to talk you through the play, telling you whose turn it is and guiding you through the process of calling and making shots. It's all very simple and very well done.

So how do you make a shot? There's a set sequence depending on which game you play. If it's a pool game in which you have to nominate a ball and a pocket, you use the joystick to highlight a ball. You then choose the pocket, again with the joystick.

Then you set the direction of shot, which is a slightly different process depending on whether you chose the 'amateur' or 'professional' level of difficulty. In both cases, you see two ghost balls. The first is next to your target ball and it determines where on the ball the cueball will strike. The second ghost ball shows the direction the target ball will take when hit.

Now it's on to actually hitting the ball. First you decide where on the cueball you want the cue to strike to make it spin. Then you can set the power of shot: a power meter shows a cue going backwards and forwards from a cueball. To get the greatest accuracy you must press the fire button in that split second when the cue touches the cueball. It's crucial to master this or you'll mess up every shot.

The whole process may sound laborious and time-consuming, but with a little practice you can get through it quite quickly.

The test of any good pool or snooker game is how accurate and how realistic it is. My opinion is that Rack 'Em is one of the best I've seen. If you set the shop up correctly and press the joystick at exactly the right time you simply know it's going to go in. As far as realism goes, the angles, rebounds, length of travel all look about right to me. You can actually see the spots and stripes spin as the balls roll, and there's a nice, authentic 'clunk' sound when the balls strike.

There's lots more I could say about Rack 'Em because it offers so much. But I'll cut it short so that I can get back to the table. It's simply an excellent rendition of a much converted sport.