Snooker is dull. Fact. Can Codemasters change all that? (World Championship Snooker (PS))

Member Name: Archimedes

Product:	World Championship Snooker (PS)
Date:	05/03/01 (417 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb graphics, official licence, great ball physics, create-a-player, different arenas, moving players.

Disadvantages: Lacks the darts/slot machine of Jimmy White' Cueball 2, dull commentary, lacks in one player mode, corny background music.

Snooker is without a doubt one of the most boring sports on television. This situation is not helped by the commentators who could make England beating Germany for the World Cup in a thrilling penalty shoot-out frequently interrupted by shootings, streakers and parachutists as dull as Watercolour Challenge. It is also very tedious to actually play. It's okay as long as you are either playing against a complete amateur, barely able to hold the cue but when you play against a pro capable of 147 breaks you know you'd better get a comfortable chair ready. World Championship Snooker does not attempt to alleviate the boredom of snooker but somehow makes it more interesting. No, it doesn’t have virtual lap dancers, and no, it doesn't have hitmen in the audience firing shots at the players.

The controls are incredibly simple to learn and a master of the game can easily have a tough match against a complete rookie who has never played before (as I found out). There is an aiming bar, which shows where the ball you first hit will travel and where the cue ball will go. You have the option to turn this off to make it more difficult but without it the game becomes nearly impossible. There also an overhead view which makes potting very easy. After you press X it will move to the power bar where you decide, oddly enough, how powerful the shot will be. There is the option to add spin but this just boggles my mind so I generally don't use it.

A superb addition to this game is the presence of real players. Rather than disembodied hands directing the cue there are actual players that move round the table and use the rests, spiders and bridges as well as clambering onto the table for better positioning. This is a great touch and adds that extra aspect of realism to the game. Also, when you pot a colour the referee will actually come and replace the ball on the table! Believe me when you've been playing an 11-frame marathon little breaks like t
his will be very welcome to you.

The graphics are among the most realistic I have ever seen in a game. This is probably because of the overriding simplicity of the game and its surroundings. All that needs to be done is the table, the balls and the snooker hall. No complex 3D arenas, no huge stadiums, no Aztec ruins, no giant fields. Just tiny backroom snooker halls with a table in the middle. That said they have still made a great job of it. There are, in total, six snooker halls; Birmingham, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Preston and Sheffield. Each of these has its own unique feel, ranging from a dingy pub type surrounding in Newcastle to the mighty crucible in Sheffield. The backgrounds change from place to place with a mighty fire roaring in Newcastle and a mighty crowd roaring in Sheffield. Other nice touches include the carpets changing colour. This may sound like the dullest thing ever but believe me a new colour can really help you to get through the waiting game that must be played against the better players. Speaking of the players each one is based on a real life player, and, as such, each one looks different. You can even create yourself in the create-a-player mode.

The commentary situation here is confusing. Lending his voice to the game is former world champion Dennis Taylor (you know, the one with the HUGE glasses) and while the comments are accurate and well worth listening to the way in which they are delivered is so lacking in life you could be forgiven for thinking that something had found its way out of Resident Evil and had taken up commentary to make a bit of cash.

The physics are a marvel and a testament to the skills of those fine people at Blade Studios. The balls move exactly as they would on a real snooker table, they rebound as they should, they slow as they should and, unlike most snooker games, allow you to scuff your shot and send the ball flying off the table.

World Championship Snooker is a fanta
stic game and yet at the same time it's also tremendously dull. Don't ask me how that happened but it did. This is the kind of game where you'll find your opinion of it differs every time you play it, often depending on how good you are. If, for instance, you are pulling 100+ breaks out then you'll think it’s the best thing in the world but if you are missing shots left, right and centre then you'll probably grow tired of waiting for your go. A great game but one for those who can play.

Summary: