Pocket Hustler (User Review)

.: By: Jonsey :: Device used: iPAQ H3650 :: February 23, 2001 :.

Back in the dark ages of the late 80s when I owned a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128 k, there existed a truly phenomenal game entitled Steve Davis Snooker. Later I upgraded my machine to the mighty Amiga 500 and promptly purchased that legendary game, Jimmy White’s whirlwind snooker, a snooker game with a 3d perspective as opposed to the top down one of Steve Davis Snooker. Since these games were such fun and so addictive and being a fan of both snooker and pool, I was eagerly looking forward to playing Pocket Hustler.

Graphics:

Pocket Hustler has simple, no- nonsense graphics, which present the game perfectly. They are not over- complicated and there are no unpleasant unnecessarily garish colours, which gives the game a smart and tidy overall appearance. The balls are a little small, which makes it tricky sometimes to determine what colour they are, but there is an option to turn on the ball numbers making things easier. Overall the graphics are nothing particularly amazing but that is not, however, a criticism! The graphics are pleasant to look at, clear and simple which is exactly what a game of this type requires.

Sound:

Much like the graphics, the sound is simple and innocuous. You get a clunk when the balls strike each other, an “OH NO!” if you foul, and applause when you win and er…. That’s about it. Again though, the question has to be asked how much more can you do with sound effects in a pool simulator?

Gameplay:

The gameplay again is straight forward and probably one of the game’s best features. In the mould of the Steve Davis game of yesteryear there is a dotted line that extends from the cue ball indicating the direction of your shot. Also in the mould of the Steve Davis simulator is the diagram of the cue- ball with which you determine where you will strike the cue ball enabling the use of side and screw. There is also the nice aforementioned feature where you can view the numbers on the balls making shot selection far easier.

Where the game play falls down is shot power selection. The inherent problem is twofold: firstly, much like golf simulators, you have to stop the cursor within a certain “strike zone” to make an accurate shot, which is simply not realistic. How many times do you see a professional pool player actually miscue his or her shot to the extent that the cue ball goes in completely the wrong direction? The fact that you can “fluff” shots is basically very irritating. The game would be greatly improved if your chance of making a mistake were increased if the cue ball was on a cushion or if you had particularly difficult cuing.

The second problem, which is equally irritating, is the range of power available. Your options seem to be limited to hardly hitting the ball, walloping it and walloping it even harder. Cue ball control is very difficult, as it does not seem possible to hit the ball with a medium amount of power. Even 20% power is enough to send the cue ball round the table several times!

Depth:

This is the area where for me the game falls down the most. It simply isn’t any fun. Even if you manage to master the problematical control interface, which is possible after an hour or so there is very little to do in the game. You can either play the computer at 8 ball, 9 ball or Rotation ball, which just gets repetitive, or you can play a friend. Playing with a friend however is no fun at all as you have to keep passing the pocket PC to one another, which just takes the enjoyment and competition out of playing against human opponent.

There are also 3 novelty games: Carom game, Bowling Game and 3 Cushion game but these are just more of the same and really don’t add very much if anything at all. There is also the option to play up to six people at once but it is not really clear what the purpose of this is as the players just take turns in an every man for himself arrangement with the winner being the one who pots the 9 ball on his go. This is surely more about luck than anything else though as the computer for instance might clear up on his first visit with the other five players not even getting a go!

Overall:

Basically, this game pales in comparison and has not significantly improved upon the ancient Steve Davis simulator, which was written for the Spectrum. It should be possible to produce a far better simulator than Pocket Hustler so unless you love pool so much that you just have to have a simulator, no matter how bad, then save your money. Go to a bar and play a few racks with your friends; it’ll be far more fun and lots cheaper! Steer clear of this one!


Pros:

• Nice graphics

• Fairly user-friendly gameplay

• A few nice touches.
  

Cons:

• No depth.

• The game just isn’t much fun.

• You’ll be bored after 2 hours at the most

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