Jimmy White's 'Whirlwind' Snooker

The Good
The 3D engine was amazing, bringing the game to life in remarkable detail. The graphics were stunning for their day and moved impeccably quickly. Lining up a shot was made easy with practice, and lots of different methods could be used to find the right angle.

The ball physics were extremely accurate, with every subtlety of motion incorporated. The angle of contact, application of spin, chalk level, speed of impact, cannons and plants, contact with the cushion, positional play for break-building and so on. Playing this will probably improve your real snooker ability.

Archer Maclean has long been famed for his attention to detail and sense of humour, and this game features much of it. There are great sound effects when you add chalk to the cue, and lots of details when you leave it idle for a while - I especially love the little 'made in England' signs the balls spout.

The trick shot mode was fantastic, helping you improve your skills as well as set up random shots for fun.

The Bad
All you could do was play individual frames against one of the four computer opponents - there was no proper tournament structure, and the ability gaps between the players were a little too wide. The initial release only had one game-save option, and was incompatible with accelerated Amigas as well.

The Bottom Line
A scientifically-accurate recreation of the popular British sport of snooker, featuring an accurately recreated table and 4 computer opponents as well as a 2-player mode. Licensed by the perennially popular Jimmy White, who's failure to win the World Championship has almost boosted his place in people's hearts.