World Snooker Championship 2005 offers gamers the ultimate simulation of a classic pub activity. The pace of the game, as you might expect, is quite different to many of the other PSP titles out there. You will find yourself frequently watching your opponent sink three or four shots while waiting painfully for your turn. With that said, the AI is very challenging - however the difficulty mode tends to swing from “incredibly easy” to “virtually impossible”. Impressive motion capture animations and replays offer a realistic look and feel and the game claims to have over 100 professional Snooker players for you to play against (not that anyone in this country would recognise them anyway).

The graphics seem to be a saving point for this game, with crisp detailed characters and locations that have been accurately modelled from the Preston Guild Hall, Wembley Conference Centre and the legendary Crucible Theatre, home of the World Championships. The gameplay revolves entirely around a decent physics engine, and lining up shots and gauging the strength to hit the ball with is your only concern. The beauty of the PSP means that you can actually physically rotate your PSP around in your hands to get that perfect angle.

Mode wise players will enjoy a range of new options; additional competitions within the game include a “League of Champions” event that allows winners of the World Championship to pit their skills against former World Champions. Plus there are additional modes such as Bar Billiards and Snooker Plus.