Advantages: Used to be interesting & entertaining
Disadvantages: Now it is dull & stale, with irritating presenters

...Big Break is a good idea - three contestants are paired up with famous snooker players. The contestants answer the questions, the snooker players - guess what ?! - play snooker shots & the one with the most points goes through to the next round. Once again, the final consists of the contestant answering trivial questions, while the snooker player tries to pot various balls for points. It is sometimes entertaining, but these days it seems to have out lived its welcome & appears dated. Jim Davidson is one of the most annoying men on TV & I just don't find him funny. John Virgo as his sidekick used to be amusing, but the repartee between the two of them has become dull & predictable. It was a good concept, but I think it is now time to retire the show & replace it with something fresh & original.... Read review

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Advantages: real professionals
Disadvantages: prizes not big enough

...I think this gameshow will only really appeal to you if you have an interest in snooker. It is presented by Jim Davidson and John Virgo, Jim provides the comedy and John provides the trickshots. The aim of the game is to pot as many balls as you can. There are three contestants at the beginning of the show who each draw different coloured snooker balls out of a bag to determine which professional snooker player is going to represent them. The show is mixed by the contestants answering general knowledge questions and the snooker players potting the balls in different rounds at the end of each round the contestant who has scored the least is said bye to. Overall I think this is a good show but the prizes could be better for a prime time show.... Read review

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Advantages: boring
Disadvantages: boring

...Codemasters are back with this ultra realistic snooker simulation. The game gives you the opportunity to play the full World championship at the Crucible theatre in Sheffield, and face 20 of the world’s top players including Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O’Sullivan. The in-game commentaries are themselves from another snooker legend, Dennis Taylor. As with most games these days, the game boasts several different play modes. In Quickplay mode you play a single match against a random contender. Take on the Championship mode and you have the opportunity to go all the way at the Crucible where you’ll play against professional players only. Of course, no sports game is complete without the obligatory multiplayer (tournament) mode where you can beat your mates. . World Championship Snooker offers a wide range of different camera... Read review

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Advantages: see text
Disadvantages: none

...This game is excellent.The original jimmy white's whirlwind snooker was the first game to capture all the skills of the sport, plus it had 3D graphics way ahead of its time.This sequal doesn't add much to the snooker itself, but has loads of extra presentation features.Everything is now 3D, instead of options screens you have a mansion hallway with 3D items representing each option. There are two main rooms, one for snooker and one for pool, each with its own CD player player and selection of games.Darts, Draughts, a one arm bandit and even a dropzone arcade machine are all there to be played, as well as pool and snooker.the game overall is excellent and is a must buy for a great price.... Read review

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Advantages: Lots of playing modes. Intuitive controls
Disadvantages: Limited character customisation options

...World Championship Snooker 2004 (wcs4) is the latest instalment of Codemasters snooker series. This time around Codemasters has included extra tournaments enhanced multiplayer some new real world players and improved commentary. If you’re interested in wcs4, then it’s probably safe to assume that you already have at least a little understanding of snooker. Suffice to say wcs4 includes a variety of playing modes including LG Tour (career mode) classic matches custom snooker matches eight and nine ball pool Trickshot Challenge and a range of bonus mini games. In a game of this type, an intuitive control system is essential and wcs4 doesn’t disappoint. While I prefer the mouse driven mechanics of the old Virtual Pool series wcs4’s pop-up control menu is quite acceptable and a bit reminiscent of the swing systems used in older... Read review

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Advantages: The best snooker/pool game around
Disadvantages: can get boreing in 1 player

...A snooker simulation is nothing new. But one that plays and looks as lifelike as this certainly is. Glance at typical scene in World Championship Snooker and a double take is needed to check that it's not coverage of the real thing. There really hasn't been anything like it before, the amazingly detailed 3D graphics bringing every bit of the action to life, from the movement of the balls, to the rendering of the table and cue, right through to the darkly lit environment and even the snooker players. It's the latter that really provide the icing on the cake, their silky 3D forms walking around the table, taking the shots, and looking every bit like real players. In fact the game features twenty of the world's top players, including Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan, while the big name connections continue with the commentary, courtesy... Read review

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Advantages: snooker players come one
Disadvantages: read

...Big Break is presented by Jim Davidson and is a snooker game show where contestants are matched up with a snooker player, and the contestant answers questions whilst the snooker player has to use the time gained from answering each answer correctly to pot as many balls as he/she can. And all this is mixed in with attempted humour and in my view an average game show. I like quiz shows and snooker, so this should be a favourite of mine but unfortunately I think that though Jim Davidson may be a favourite of some, he is not a favourite of mine, in my book he is not funny. I can’t believe how much the BBC pays him a year. After watching the game show a few times, it seems so repetitive and the bits in the game show that seemed interesting/funny soon lose their appeal. Surely this game show has exceeded his shelf time and it is now... Read review

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Advantages: Is more than just a snooker game
Disadvantages: Can stall and has bugs

...Jimmy White's 2 Cueball I bought this game a long time ago. I used to have the MegaDrive and I used to play Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker on it. When I played JW2C for the first time, the graphics amazed me. The game of snooker is not a game in which manufacturers can produce much scope. But this game has. You are initially presented with a first person view of what is designed to be Jimmy's house. To the left is the pool room, and the snooker room to the right. Along the walls are various books. Each of these books contains records of breaks, leads, wins, etc. On the far side, are two blackboards, (one for pool, one for snooker) with the highest "ranks" for pool, and the highest breaks for snooker. When you go into either room, you will see a magnificent design from the makers. In the snooker room, you get a calm room... Read review

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Advantages: Realistic and addictive gaming, lots of the top players
Disadvantages: Opponents sometimes do impossible shots; commentary can be a bit repetitive

...The long awaited 2003 edition I have always been a fan of snooker games, but finding a realistic one, which is easy to play, appeared to be quite difficult. I was pleasantly shocked when I bought World Championship Snooker 2002 for the PS2. I had found a game, which was easy to play, fun, and looked good. I then heard about World Championship Snooker 2003. At first I thought they had only improved the graphics, so I was a bit reluctant to go out and spend up to £40 for it. At that time I was content with playing on the predecessor. I then found a copy of World Championship Snooker 2003 in a second hand shop for £15; I bought it and haven’t been able to stop playing on it yet. There were far more improvements than I originally thought. The graphics were a lot smoother, the commentary was improved and there were some extra players... Read review

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Advantages: graphics, controls
Disadvantages: none

...Virtual Pool 2 is a brilliant snooker and pool game. The backgrounds are fantastic with great graphics. An example of a background is an actual bar. In the version I have I only have 1 background but you can find patches on the internet with more. The opponent Al is a range from bad to excellent depending on which person you play. Also there is a two-player option, which is fun. There are many types of games of snooker and pool to play which keeps you going for a long time. Especially good is the internet play. The connection is TCP/IP so it is totally free. Also the controls are very simple and easy to use. The graphics are good, the enemy Al is good and the options are great. This game is fantastic and a must buy if you’re somebody who likes snooker/pool.... Read review

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