Pool Shark 1.85

Realistic 3D American Pool game

I love a good game of pool and a beer and although there's no beer included, Pool Shark is a decent attempt at recreating the thrills of the pool hall.

Pool Shark is a simple to play Pool game that doesn't require much configuration to get going straight away. When you open Pool Shark, you're taken straight to the table and some horrendous backing music which is presumably based on "The Entertainer". You can fortunately switch it off in the preferences because it sounds like you're in a Charlie Chaplin flick.

The controls are simple. The strength bar at the bottom left controls the strength of the shot. The cue ball in the bottom right allows you to add spin to your shots and all that then remains is for you to aim the cue in the direction that you'd like to shoot. The sound effects and movement are excellent although it seems you can only play one set of American rules. The most annoying thing is that the package comes bundled with Mahong and a few other demos and when you exit the game, you're prompted twice whether you want to try them.

The graphics and sound of Pool Shark are excellent and if you switch the music off, pool fans are sure to get many hours of happy potting out of it.