3D Pool

If you think about it, 2D pool games using a top-down viewpoint don't really make sense. After all, who plays pool from a position suspended six feet above the table? It wouldn't be allowed down our local, that's for sure.

No, in the real world, pool is definitely played in 3D. You line up shots from behind the ball, judge your angle carefully, decide how much spin to add… and then ricochet the ball off the pocket corner while potting the white. Or is that just us?

3D Pool is the first 'proper 3D' mobile pool game, which explains the does-what-it-says-on-the-tin title. You finally get a realistic view of the table, with a nifty physics engine running under the surface to ensure the balls clack off each other suitably well.

Okay, so it's not entirely realistic. You can obviously rotate and spin the table to look at shots from any angle – in the real world, you have to walk around the table, asking burly blokes to move their pints as you go.

The play options in the game are typical stuff, including a practice mode, solo matches, and a pass-the-handset two-player variant enabling you to go head-to-head against a friend.

And how does it look? Well, apart from the 3D perspective, the graphics are simple and stripped-down. This is important because it ensures that, even on relatively cheap handsets, the game is smooth and responsive. There's nothing worse than 3D graphics that move in jerk-o-vision because the phone can't cope, so we have to applaud Distinctive Development for reining its ambitions in to focus on the playability.

Importantly for a pool game, the controls aren't overly complex, either. You set your aim, spin and power in rapid succession, meaning that taking shots is a quick process. We've been happily playing like Jimmy 'Whirlwind' White at his speediest. (Yes, we know he plays snooker, not pool – don't spoil our analogies, eh?)

It's tough, too. If you're playing the single-player mode, you'll need some hot potting skills to beat the mobile-controlled opponents. Having said that, the difficulty curve is pitched just right to keep you playing so it never gets frustrating. And when you have beaten them, there's always trick shots to perfect, adding further depth.

Not surprisingly, the big selling point of 3D Pool is its 3D graphics. Thankfully they've been backed up by a solid game of pool that'll keep you cueing for quite some time.