World Snooker Challenge 2007

Product: World Snooker Championship 2007 | Developer: Blade Interactive | Publisher: Sega | Format: PSP | Genre: Simulation, Sports | Players: 1-2 | Networking: wireless (adhoc) | Version: Europe

You say 'to-may-to', I say 'to-mah-to', but in the case of World Snooker Challenge 2007 (or World Pool Challenge 2007, as it's known to our American cousins) that's certainly no reason to call the whole thing off. Becase thanks to the massive popularity of pool in the US set alongside British passions forged in the crucible of snooker, Sega has decided to pack its latest cuesports simulator with fully formed and feature laden versions of both sports.

For snooker fans, this translates to being able to play as or against an astonishing 91 of the most popular and well-known snooker and pool stars in the world – from John Higgins, Ronnie 'O Sullivan, and Steve Davis through to Earl Strickland and Efren Reyes. Ten officially endorsed tournaments including the World Snooker Championship and The Masters are available to play through, as well as a hugely generous array of quick play and more casual options, including trick shots, free snooker, free pool, and 8- and 9-ball games.

The gameplay doesn't stray too far from the traditional videogame-snooker furrow, requiring you to line up shots carefully using the D-pad, setting the power with which you want to hit the ball, and then sitting back to watch the shot outplay. By default, some gentle aids are given to indicate the angles that balls will likely travel as you work out shots and, helpfully, a darkened circle appears on the table to indicate the general area where the cue ball will likely come to rest according to power, bounce, and spin.

Pleasingly, there's a weighty, realistic feel to both the balls and the tables. In fact, these are some of the best ball physics we've experienced in a snooker game, which coupled with the extremely satisfying clunk of the sound effects helps provide a strong sense of realism throughout.

The environments are extremely well-realised, too (admittedly, a sombre room and a big green felt table shouldn't really sweat the PSP's processing power), as are all the in-game characters.

The official commentary (from John Parrot, John Virgo and Steve Davis) is also always appropriate, slick, and well-delivered. These added extras, which too many developers fall down on, combine here to polish off an extremely professional package.

So, a maximum break then? Not quite. Load times are a constant intrusion; after you've decided upon the angle and power of each shot, the PSP loads your character's model in (as well as an appropriate commentary response), leaving a gap of a four or five seconds between the entry and delivery of each move. These momentary interruptions are understandable and mostly bearable, but they spoil the flow of the game somewhat.

Likewise, it's sometimes difficult to achieve the necessary level of precision in lining up shots thanks to the inaccurate D-pad – you'll find yourself micro-tapping left and right repeatedly just to try and get the angle you're looking for. In most games this isn't a problem, but when playing on a full-sized snooker table where accuracy is everything and a 5-degree mistake can mean the difference between a trophy and defeat, it's occasionally game-breaking.

Thankfully, some careful lining up of shots and learning from trial-and-error will typically get you through, and so these issues can be mostly overlooked.

Instead, the question of whether World Snooker Challenge 2007 is for you rests, as it should, on the sport it champions. A lot of your play time can be spent simply watching your opponent skillfully clear a table. For less pool- or snooker-obsessed gamers, this regular state of non-interactivity will quickly wear thin over the course of a championship.

For aficionados on either side of the Atlantic (or anywhere else), however, this is the best package catering for the two principal disciplines of cuesports currently available on a handheld. As such, it's highly recommended.

World Snooker Challenge 2007

	Simon Parkin | 30 January 2007
	A well-rounded package with excellent modes to suit every cuesport fan, it only misses out on the perfect frame due to a couple of minor hardware issues
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