Taken purely on its own merits, it's hard to fault the latest iteration of Codemasters' World Championship Snooker series for its sharp recreation of the sport of waistcoats. Positively groaning with options, stats and vibrations on the game, you can dip into a single frame, embark on a career or just hang out with Stephen Hendry in the games room playing pool, or brushing up on your shots.

At this stage in its career, developer Blade has got the whole 'ball physics' thing down to a fine art, so you're free to trust your eye, safe in the knowledge that if you fluff a shot, it won't have been the game's maths at fault.

With John Virgo and Dennis Taylor on (largely annoyance free) commentary duties, the career mode can be as thorough or as abbreviated as you like. Play every frame and watch your opponents' shots in real time (along with all the other games in an event) or focus entirely on your shots. Either way, reaching the Crucible is no easy task and thoroughly enjoyable.

In fact, it's only when you take a glance back at WCS 2002 that 2003 loses any shine at all. Given the limited graphical demands of recreating two players, a table and 22 balls, it's hard to see how this year's game moves on significantly from its predecessor. So whereas WCS 2003 nails the experience of potting balls superbly, it still suffers from a lack of atmosphere. How about some lager stains and fag smoke next time?

Graphics 60%
Sharp, but, given the subject, should be better

Sound 60%
Good commentary, satisfying 'thunks' and applause

Gameplay 70%
As engrossing as you allow it to be

Lifespan 70%
Potentially endless, but a real snooker hall has a bar

Overall 70%
Another feature-packed recreation of the sport from Codies marred only by a lack of graphical flair