Recently that changed.  I got the chance to play Pool Paradise, a new and unique pool video game with an unusually low price.

At first, Pool Paradise's controls appear to be like any other game.  The right analog stick alters the camera, while the left analog stick changes your aim.  (In this case, a game about pool, your aim is the position of the cue stick adjacent to the cue ball.)  Whether you've played pool on PlayStation 2 or not, this control style is easy to get used to.

I continued pressing buttons, trying to figure out all of the actions (I don't like game manuals and avoid using them as much as possible).  Then I noticed something strange: there isn't a button to start a power meter!  What gives?  How can you have pool without a charge meter of some kind?

That kind of thinking was derived from all the other pool games on the market.  As good as some of them are, they all use a meter in which you press one button to start it, then press it again when it reaches full capacity in order to achieve the most powerful shot.

However, as acceptable as that is, it's not always the most effective way to take a shot.  In real life you can adjust the power by moving the stick back and forth.  That doesn't make the game a whole lot easier, but surely it makes it more precise.

That's where Pool Paradise's best feature comes into play.  You don't have a meter because that's not how this game works.  When you want to hit the cue ball, simply hold down the X button and pull back on the left analog stick.  If you release it the cue stick will go back into place and will not hit the ball.  By pulling backward and pushing forward accordingly, you can execute shots that would have been nearly impossible to do effectively in another pool game.

Plus, if you're pushing forward and then decide that you don't want to take the shot yet, all you have to do is ease up on the analog stick.  If you have the ability to do it in real life, chances are you can do it in this game.  The exception being that you can't break the cue stick in half when you lose $100 (virtual money) after making a foolish wager.  Though I'm sure you could deal damage to the controller instead.  But if you do that, just remember that you'll need another one to replace it if you want to continue playing.  Chances are you will.

Pool Paradise doesn't look as much like a paradise as it could have, but the backgrounds and pool table detail is worth mentioning.  Of course, designing a pool table in 3D is not nearly as difficult as designing, say, an enormous game world for Jak III.  Still, the various, colorful backgrounds deserve to be noted.  You'll spend most of the time keeping your eyes on the pool table, and the game's many camera angles make it difficult to do otherwise.

Every pool game needs a zoom feature, so Pool Paradise has included one.  I was a little disappointed that I couldn't pan around the pool table as seamlessly as you can in Super Monkey Ball, especially when you consider the fact that SMB's pool mode is only a mini-game.

Another (minor) disappointment is the lack of opponents.  Oh sure, the game says you have several dozen to choose from.  You can take on old men, James Bond-wannabes, attractive women, or an average Joe.  Unfortunately, when you choose to take them on, you don't actually get to have the benefit of taking them on.  You only know it's them because their picture (a small drawing) is placed on the top right of the screen.  Your opponent's polygon image is invisible; all you see are his or her hands, which are covered by gloves!

To be honest it looks kind of silly.  Instead of floating over as you'd expect hands to do if they were not connected to anything, they appear to walk over, indicating that they are attached to a body that we aren't allowed to see.  Very strange.

An oddity and some small disappointments are not enough to keep me from enjoying a really good game.  I can't say I'd spend a whole night playing Pool Paradise, but I wouldn't spend that much time playing the real thing either.  Pool Paradise is the kind of game that you'll want to kick back and relax with.  It's the kind of game you could encourage women to play much more easily than Halo or Soul Calibur.  You won't find a better virtual pool table, nor will you find one at a lower price.  (Pool Paradise has an MSRP of $20.)

Gameplay: 8
More types of pool are featured in this game than I know how to play!  The game will help fill in the blanks, so if you're clueless don't worry.  Some of the game types featured: 9 Ball, 10 Ball, 15 Ball, 14 to 1, Bowlliards (score card similar to bowling), Rotation, Killer, and Trickshot.

Pool Paradise starts you off with $200 from a loan shark, which can be used to purchase items, enter competitions, etc.  When I say loan shark I'm being serious – he really is a shark.  That begs the question...if he didn't have a girlfriend, would that make him a loan-ly shark?

Graphics: 7
Pretty backdrops and not much else.  The scenery is nice, but you hardly see it.  And those hands...  Well, those are just laughable.

Sound: 4
Generic.  You don't hear much of anything.  The music is quiet and not worth turning the sound up for.

Difficulty: Medium
It takes a lot of thought (and endless patience) to become a master of this game.  However, you will have an easier time mastering Pool Paradise than you will have trying to master the real thing.

Concept: 7.5
Anyone can say, “Hey, I want to make a video game based on something that already exists in the real world!”  But only the developers of Pool Paradise created a control style that makes the game worth playing.

Multiplayer: 8
Who doesn't love to play pool with a friend?  You'll be bogged down by the waiting period (waiting for someone to take their shot in a real game of pool does not seem as boring as it is to wait for them to take a shot in Pool Paradise).  But if you can get past that you'll have a good time.

Overall: 7.9
Well worth your time, well worth the price, Pool Paradise as good as it gets for virtual pool.