Virtual Pool (Jewel Case)

by SoftKey

Product Features

• 3D pool simulator with realistic perspectives and graphics
• 4 games: 8-ball, 9-ball, straight pool, and rotation
• Full simulation of physical action: friction, speed, collision, and roll
• Full-motion video library; multi-player modes
• Jukebox plays country, jazz, and blues tunes

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002SAM5
• Item model number: PVO3844AE
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 10, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,590 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

GameSpot Review

When designing a military flight simulator, programmers have a certain leeway in reproducing the physical properties of the aircraft and its surroundings. After all, only a lucky few have ever actually flown a real F-16, so no one will notice if the plane doesn't capture the precise "feel" of its real world counterpart. Unfortunately, the designers of Virtual Pool do not have this luxury. Since all of us have held a cue stick at least once in our lives, Interplay has to ensure that the table physics are 100 percent accurate in order to suspend our disbelief.

To this end, the Celeris design team employed mathematicians and physicists to ensure absolute realism. As a direct result of their meticulous attention to detail, Virtual Pool succeeds in reproducing every possible nuance of the game. In fact, Interplay claims that the physics are so accurate that it will actually improve your real-life pool game - or your money back!

Of course, outstanding physics are useless without a control scheme that allows you to actually take advantage of them. Fortunately, Virtual Pool utilizes one of the most elegant and responsive interfaces ever created for a computer game. By providing a direct link between the mouse and the motion of the onscreen cue stick, Virtual Pool allows you to recreate all the draw, English, and spin you would apply to an actual cue ball. All you have to do is line up the shot, pull back on the mouse, and then stoke forward as you would a genuine pool stick. By moving the mouse gently, you can make smooth and accurate shots. If you roll the mouse with force, you can send the onscreen balls careening off the rails. This direct interface is so convincing that you can almost feel the contact with the ball.

Once you have mastered the art of the cue, you can challenge one of the nine computerized competitors to a game of 8-ball, 9-ball, or straight pool. In addition, numerous multiplayer options allow you to hustle a friend using the same machine, or even remotely via modem or IPX network.

Virtual Pool is like a real pool table crammed onto a tiny CD. The accurate treatment of table physics not only duplicates the mechanics of pool, but also the intuitive interface replicates the elusive "feel" of the game - which is the highest praise that can be awarded to any simulation. --Jim Varner
--Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As Real As They Come, November 28, 2001

By 

Lee DeWald (Nebraska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Virtual Pool (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

This was one of the very first computer games I ever purchased. I loved shooting pool at the time (I still do), and I can happily say that this game doesn't disappoint.

"Virtual Pool" simulates everything except for the chalk you apply to the end of your cue tip. You can perform all the stunts you see the pros do on TV, you have legitimately hard computer opponents, and angles are just as tricky as they are in real life. One of the very cool features on this game is when a real pro shows you how to perform dozens of trick shots. On an interesting side-note, if you look real close, you can tell that some of the trick shots the expert performs requires more than one take. But hey, nobody's perfect, right?

You can play in a variety of modes on "Virual Pool." You can play to 150 points, you can play 9-Ball, you can play the standard 8-ball game, and many other different games. And when you choose a computer opponent to play against, some are better than others. And don't let their names fool you! I chose my first opponent, Dead Eye Dan, thinking that his name implied he couldn't shoot for beans. Boy was I wrong; the guy shot two racks' worth before I even got a shot off. So choose carefully!

The only bad thing about this game, and this is what keeps it from being a 5-Star game, is the fact that sometimes it freezes on me. You go to shoot or check out the replay of your latest great shot, and the whole thing goes batty. I don't know whether this a common thing with this game or not, but it can be annoying sometimes.

All in all, this is a great computer game for the billiards lover. And the game's guarantee that you can become a better player by using it is true. I don't think anyone who plays this game can't learn a little something. If you're someone who needs a few pointers on how to shoot pool, or if you're just looking for something different to try, "Virtual Pool" would be an interesting and fun challenge for you.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, October 21, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Virtual Pool (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

The game is cool, especially with machine gun lue telling the tricks of the trade, great graphics, great everything...

3.0 out of 5 stars System Requirements info is incorrect, January 23, 2012

By 

CMS (Spokane WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Virtual Pool (Jewel Case) (CD-ROM)

The system requirements for this item say it works on Linux. This is untrue, as I have tried. I can't even get Wine to run it and I'm using the latest version as well as Ubuntu 11.04. I was able to install it with Wine, but, when I tried to run the program, it told me the disc was not in the drive when I knew for sure it was because I never removed it after the installation. Does not work on Linux!