World Championship Pool 2004 (PC)

Late last year, Jaleco released World Championship Pool 2004 exclusively on the Xbox. The game received a fair amount of praise, partially because it did legitimately feature some sound pool mechanics and a healthy list of gameplay modes. Now, World Championship Pool 2004 is available for the PC, which, unlike the Xbox, is home to many other quality billiards sims. Unfortunately, this version of the game, while fairly good, doesn't really stand out.

World Championship Pool 2004's controls are quite easy to pick up, while still managing to be realistically designed. You first begin by lining up your shot using either the arrow keys on your keyboard, or the analog stick or the D pad of a peripheral controller. Depending on the difficulty level chosen, you will have the option of highlighting a path guide that shows where the ball you're aiming at will go and where the cue ball will go. After appropriately aiming your shot, you press the shot button once to move to a power meter that determines how hard your shot will be. After that, another press of the shot button brings you either to your shot animation, or in the case of a game that requires you to call your shot, you're brought to an overhead view that lets you select exactly which ball you're calling--as well as which pocket you plan to shoot it into. Additionally, during the setup of the shot, you can adjust the elevation of your pool cue by holding down a button and moving the cue up and down. You can also put a little English on the cue ball using a similar method.

The one downside to the PC version's control scheme is that the keyboard controls aren't very good. When trying to angle a shot using keys, it is simply impossible to get a proper shot lined up due to the oversensitivity of the keys. Even a gentle tap of a key will send the cue too far in one direction or the other. The same goes for trying to measure out shot power, because you can easily jump too high or slide too low when trying to adjust with the keyboard. Ultimately, this brings you to the cold reality that you pretty much need a good dual analog controller to properly play WCP 2004. The sensitivity encountered when using a controller is still a bit unwieldy at first, but with a minimal amount of practice, you can get used to it.

Though its basic gameplay mechanics aren't bad, WCP 2004's biggest asset is its gameplay depth. At its core, the game features several variations of the game of pool, including 8 Ball, 9 Ball, and snooker, as well as the more traditional, standard game of pool. Each of these games can be played in either single game or tournament form--except for snooker, which can only be played in a single game form. You can designate the number of frames in each game for a single round--all the way up to a best of 17 match--and you can customize features like location, table type, ball set, and the rules of the game. WCP 2004 also features a lengthy career mode in which you create your own customized player and then take him or her through a series of professional tournaments in hopes of earning enough cash so that you can purchase items in the game's shop mode. Items available in the mode include new clothing articles for your player, as well as new ball sets, tables, and pool cues. You can also store the trophies you win in the career mode.

Further adding to the depth of WCP 2004 are a couple of additional modes: trick shot and bonus game. The bonus game mode gives you a roster of seven games with unique rule sets. Some examples of these games include MineField, in which certain "mined" areas of a table cause balls to jump off the table if you hit them, and Unexploded Ball, which is played like a basic game of 9 Ball. However, if you don't get your shot off within a certain amount of time, the targeted ball explodes, and your turn ends. Most of these games are only simplistic variations on the basic pool games, but they're still quite amusing to play. As for the trick shot mode, here you are presented with a number of gimmicked trick shots that you must perform to unlock new shots. Think of it as the trick shot competitions you see on ESPN2--but without an opponent. Both of these modes are ultimately quite nice to have around and serve as enjoyable diversions from standard pool playing.

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