Cue Club 2

Breaking in 8-ball pool, 2D view

Cue Club 2 can be played in either top-down view (2D mode) or a first-person view (3D mode). Game control options include mouse input, keyboard, game-pad or a touchscreen device. Several game rules are available including eight-ball (including both US and European rules), nine-ball, ten-ball, six-ball, seven-ball, snooker, speed pool, and killer. The rules of eight-ball, ten-ball and killer can be customised to reflect many different variants. There are three variations of snooker: a full game with fifteen reds, and shorter games with either ten or six reds. Players choose from a selection of game modes such as Practice, Single Player Quick Game, Two Player, Three Player, Four Player, Tournament, Bar Challenge and Multiplayer mode.

The game is set in a fictional club featuring a range of themed bars and theatre venues, and each is host to a selection of unique opponents of varying difficulty. Upon starting the game the player is required to log in by entering their name, after which they are given a membership card to access the first bar.

There are two main parts to the game. The first is to complete the Bar Challenge, where the player chooses the game rules in each match and aims to progress through the stages by beating computer-controlled opponents one by one. There are fifteen characters in total, complete with imagery, and dressed in casual clothing. After defeating all the opponents in a bar, the player is awarded a membership card to the next bar where the difficulty level increases. When all the bars have been unlocked and the opponents defeated, the player is presented with the Bar Challenge Trophy.

3D Snooker mode in Penthouse Bar

The second part to Cue Club 2 is the Tournament mode. Sixteen players compete in a tournament, and for this game mode opponents are dressed in formal competition attire. Progress is initially easy, but gets harder as weaker players are eliminated and more skilful opponents are encountered. There are four rounds in total (first round, quarter-final, semi-final and final), and the number of frames played can be set anywhere from Best of 3 up to Best of 35. Since matches can potentially take a long time to complete, games can be saved at any point to resume later using one of the numerous save-game slots. If the player succeeds in winning a tournament they are awarded a Tournament trophy. There is one trophy for each of the ten game modes available.

Other accolades and awards can be gained for accomplishing things such as high snooker breaks and racking up fast times in speed pool. There are twenty total trophies to collect.

The game is completed when all opponents have been defeated in Bar Challenge mode and all ten tournaments have been won. Upon successful completion of the Bar Challenge, which is arguably the largest and most challenging aspect of the game, a victory sequence is played.

Cue Club 2 expands on the original game with new artwork, additional characters, table designs, cues and ball sets. Both the size and design of the cues and balls can be modified. The table cloth, pockets and rails can also be customized, along with the speed of the table cloth. The method of cueing may also be adjusted. Additionally, players are able to choose from a selection of colored chalk. The developers state that the physics engine has been overhauled and the A.I. of the computer opponents significantly improved. Two new bonus games have been added, including a revised Slam mode, where balls can be swung round on a length of cord, and a Detonator mode where the balls explode on impact (this mode was formerly a "cheat" option in the original Cue Club).

Players can save shots and replay them at a variety of speeds, and also save and replay their highest snooker breaks and speed pool times. Matches can also be saved mid-game and resumed later, allowing for tournaments and longer games to be completed in multiple sittings. A selection of nine new soundtracks were composed for the title, serving as background music to complement game play. In an attempt to stay true to its roots the developers retained recognizable styling elements from the first game, but made several important technical improvements to enable support for widescreen, ultra widescreen, and touchscreen monitors, in addition to 1080p High Definition graphics and 4K displays. The software is capable of supporting multiple resolutions depending on the user's current desktop settings, and adaptive scaling ensures that there is no stretching or image distortion, irrespective of the aspect ratio. Full screen anti-aliasing is also supported, as well as multiple refresh rates ranging from 60 Hz up to 240 Hz.

In November 2015, gaming website MouseNJoypad.com awarded Cue Club 2 a score of 81%, recommending the game over any other pool simulator currently on the market.[1]

• Official website