Hands on with 8Ball Allstars on DS

Being the pool novices that some of us are, we can tell 8Ball Allstars must accurately replicate the real sport by the way our first few shots entirely missed the ball we were aiming for.

Like the real thing, then, this isn't a difficult game to pick up and start playing, but it's one that clearly requires some practice before you can expect to be landing the cue ball exactly where you want it.

It is intuitive, though, with the DS touchscreen making for a very hands-on experience by giving you a virtual pool cue that's dragged back using the stylus – not too far if you want to pull off a gentle shot – then launched forward at the ball to strike it. It's easily done and, with the most obvious shot being automatically lined up for you at the start of each turn, even a six-year-old could probably get some sort of result by simply knocking balls about.

But for those after a more serious session, more depth exists. Of the other touchscreen options at your stylus tip, for instance, there's a cue ball on which you can indicate the spot where you want the cue to hit it, and an icon that enables you to flip to a quick overhead table view. The game's other controls utilise the D-pad (which moves you around the table), as well as the shoulder buttons, which change the camera view from eye-level, to the ball, and to a raised isometric position.

We began our own game of 8Ball in Practice mode – the logical place to go when you're doubtful of your ability to pot a ball sitting two inches from the pocket. Handily, Practice simply sets up a number of different shots for you to attempt and is a good place to hone your skills and get a feel for the quite sensitive touchscreen cue. You can even train on the game's 'advanced' diamond, triangle, round and L-shaped tables should you be looking for something a little more exotic than the thrills offered by the typical baize rectangle.

There's also a Challenge mode in the game. Remember those John Virgo trick shots in the old snooker quiz show Big Break? We'd forgotten them too until we played this. But you'll soon be feeling like Virgo himself as you try out an array of fancy tricks to complete each goal. The first challenge is easy enough – to hit a yellow ball lurking behind a red one, without moving the red one – but, don't worry, they quickly get more difficult. The preview build we played had 16 of these challenges but there could be more unlocked if you complete them all.

Tournament, then, is the main mode in 8Ball, where you take on a range of AI opponents. Our first challenger was fairly quickly beaten but, like weasels, we were playing on the easiest on four difficulty levels. Had we opted for the 'ultimate' level, we'd still be too busy losing to bring you this preview. Certainly, there's longevity assured for those prepared to face the considerable challenge the game can offer.

And if you're a virtual hustler and the AI players aren't enough to keep you going, there will be a whole range of online and local wireless modes, too (although we weren't able to check them out on this build).

We will come review time, of course, but that's not quite around the corner yet – 8Ball Allstars has a new release date of February 15th next year. So there's a bit of a wait for your fix of stylus-assisted pool, but on the upside it gives the developer plenty of time to further polish what is looking like a very solid game of pool.

And just think of all the money you'll save from having what could turn out to be a great alternative to the pool table down your local…