Pool Deluxe Review

The Palm pool simulator genre isn’t filled with too much competition. The only game that comes to mind is Billiards from Megasoft 2000, a game released last spring. In many ways, Pool Deluxe is the same game. They look alike, though I guess there’s only so many ways you can make a game about pool look. The hit meter, the table, etc. If you can’t tell the difference, why buy Pool Deluxe? Read on.

The modes of play. Deluxe Pool has Quick Play, Career Play, Tournament, Practice, and a set of Statistics. All of this is provided with nice-looking menus, including the brackets, the set-up for career, etc. So in other words, Pool Deluxe has a more elegant atmosphere than Billiards, with just preference boxes.

Quick Play is the easiest way to get started. Simply select Quick Play from the menu, then set the parameters for your match. Select from three different types of games: 8-Ball (Bar Rules), 8-Ball (BCA Rules), and 9-Ball. In this case for some, Deluxe Pool might be disappointing compared to Billiards. You also have the option to play against a fellow human or against the computer, skill level (one of six), match length (up to 10), and the location.

Tournament play is a great deal of fun. It would have been a good idea for the developers to include the possibility for multiple human players compete in the tournament, but as it is, it still works. Again, you select your game type, the skill level, and the match length. From here, you’re presented with a Tournament bracket, broken into 4 with 8 separate competitors.

The final game mode is Career, something that along with the Tournament, is missing from Billiards that stands the two apart. Once again, you selection game type, skill level, and match length. You play at different locations. The first, the ‘garage’, has a set limit of cash for which you can bet up to $1,000. The third and final location has a $20,000 cap. As you earn money, you can challenge new people.

Now that I’ve described the different modes of play, I’ll delve deeper into how the game is actually played. You start by breaking the balls. A power meter on the bottom shows you the speed at which the ball will be shot. An optional line can show you the trajectory of the ball, and the direction that balls that you hit will go. Using the stylus or touch-screen, position the pool stick to hit the ball. Line up the shot, then push ‘shoot’. You can curve your shot by moving the position at which you hit the ball.

As far as graphics are concerned, Pool Deluxe has a nice, user-friendly menu layout. The in-game graphics are equal to that of Billiards, except this has three boards to choose from. The only complaint I have with the game is the graffiti area blocks 1/3 of the screen that could have been used as the table. There are three tunes that you can upload optionally, and the sound effects are sufficient.

Pool Deluxe from DeluxeWare is a pool game that all Palm gamers should give a try, at least if you don’t own Billiards. You can find yourself curled on a couch playing for an hour at a time, something other Palm games have trouble getting me to do. Also, the Career mode is the best addition to the pool game genre that I can think of. Chalk up your stylus and play Pool Deluxe for Palm and Zodiac.