Hustler

Your Spectrum

Dave Nicholls 2/5 MISS

Roger Willis 0/5 MISS

Ross Holman 2/5 MISS

JOYSTICK JURY What's on your software shopping list for Christmas? Let Ross Holman, Dave Nicholls and Roger Willis help you make your mind up! This month, our motley crew of Joystick Jurors include Dave Nicholls, a self-confessed adventure fanatic and seasoned hacker; Ross Holman, ace games player and winner of the Jet Set Willy prize; and, last but by no means least, Roger Willis, a relative newcomer to the Spectrum scene. Dave and Ross you'll already know from our monthly major games reviews. Roger Willis, on the other hand, is probably more at home in the saddle of a massive motorbike... but that was before he discovered the thrills and spills of the Spectrum. Check out what they thought of the latest in games software... HUSTLER Bubble Bus £6.99 Ross: Is there really a market for another pool game? Answer... probably only if it's sufficiently different from the others to maintain interest. Bubble Bus must have recognized this because Hustler provides six different games to choose from. Having selected your particular poison, you see on-screen the table, balls and a status line at the bottom. The screen is white with green bars representing the cushions, and the balls are black - thus avoiding attribute corruption problems; they also have their numbers on them. To make a shot you move a cross to some point along the desired line between cue ball and object ball, and hit the 'fire' key. The speed of the shot is controlled by a strength indicator. Unfortunately, the speed of the balls never gets much beyond sluggish ... they just bounce for longer. An added refinement is the kind and strength of spin. If you haven't got a pool game then this isn't bad.

Read it at Your Spectrum Unofficial Archive

Personal Computer News

Overall 5/10

Roger Howarth 5/10

PRICE: £6.99 PUBLISHER: Bubble Bus [redacted] Hustler is a pool simulation, but don't unpack your trunks - the weather's terrible and it's the other sort of pool. On loading, you're treated to a wonderful rendition of some purdy tune while you browse through the game options menu or the high score table. Actually, the music's great. There are six game variations for one or two players: for the single player - any ball in any pocket, balls in order and ball in its pocket; two players - score the pockets, mini pool and lowest and highest. Score the Pockets involves getting a numbered ball into its correspondingly numbered pocket. Mini pool is just like club pool, but instead of potting spots and stripes, you pot numbers one to three or four to six depending on who pots what first. Lowest and highest simply involves player one potting balls one to three while player two pots four to six; last one out's a sissy. Built into Hustler is a remarkably diligent referee who not only keeps score, but spots fouls and awards extra shots to the opposition accordingly. Another nice feature is the spin option. Besides hitting the cue ball with varying force, you can also add top, bottom, left or right spin, with a touch that ranges from ever-so subtle to quite devastating. Theoretically at least, some nifty shooting could be possible here. I say theoretically not because of some fault with this particular game, but more a failing with all versions of computer pool. None of them even attempt to transpose the real 3D, sideways on view of a pool table in the simulation. Even with the smooth graphics, it's not a simulation at all and it's a rather boring way to spend your time. As far as computer pool goes this is a very good version, but it just doesn't go far enough.