Virtual Snooker
A snooker simulation featuring Steve Davis and Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Celeris developed Virtual Snooker, the second title in the Virtual Pool franchise, with Interplay Productions publishing it. Released for MS-DOS in July 1996, it focuses solely on traditional snooker, unlike its predecessor which includes four pool variants. The game shares its engine and many digital assets with the original Virtual Pool. SoftKey later distributed ports for Windows 95 and Windows 98.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Celeris
- Publisher
- Interplay Productions; Softkey (Windows)
- Released
- July 17, 1996 (NA)
- Genre
- Sports
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- MS-DOS, Windows
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Virtual Snooker uses keyboard and mouse controls, with shots executed through mouse movement. Its first-person 3D graphics let players stand back from the shot line and walk around the table to inspect different perspectives, and it runs at a higher frame rate than the original Virtual Pool. The game supports local multiplayer over an Ethernet LAN and basic online play between two computers using analog modems. It was sold with a promise that the simulator would enhance a player’s real-world snooker skills. The box features six-time World Snooker Champion Steve Davis in a starring role, and the game includes 52 minutes of instructional videos with Davis, where players can pause the footage and try the shot shown. This live-action content also contains the first televised maximum break in history, achieved by Davis. Ronnie O’Sullivan serves as presenter in the game; both he and Davis appear on the cover art, superimposed on snooker balls.
Reception
Critical reception for Virtual Snooker was moderate, with review aggregator Game Rankings scoring the game 67%. Stephen Pool of GameSpot scored it 7.2/10, stating that enjoyment depends mainly on interest in real snooker. GameSpot noted that the game follows on from Virtual Pool and that players can expect the same excellence in gameplay, and praised the inclusion of Steve Davis as an excellent job showing the ideal way to play. However, GameSpot was less impressed with the lack of depth in gameplay modes, noting that where Virtual Pool had other types of pool, Virtual Snooker only offers snooker. Germany's PC Joker cited the game for its playability and looks but found it lacked replayability.
More in Interplay Entertainment Games of the 1990s
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