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Pool is one of those games that lent itself early on to computerization. No doubt the concepts of trajectory and speed and all of the little things that a regular player doesn't think about lent themselves to a programmer's mentality. Or maybe the programmers just wanted to have some fun.

3D Ultra Cool Pool is half straight pool and half fantasy game. The old faithful games are here, such as Nine Ball and Pocket Billiards. These are joined by five new fantasy games that could never exist in real life.

So take five real games and five flights of fancy and wrap them in a 1950s style user interface. How do they measure up?

Most of the games included can be played in under 10 minutes, unless you're a terrible shot. There are five "standard" games such as Eight Ball and Rotation, and five "cool" games involving elements that hopefully don't exist in real-world pool, such as rocket balls and bombs.

The standard games are what you would expect from any pool simulation, and when in single player mode can be played at three different difficulty levels. The "cool" games are quite different. For example, in "Rocket Ball" you must sink as many balls as you can without disturbing the rocket balls that are present on the table. If you happen to hit a rocket ball with the cue ball, it will jet around the table at top speed until it either knocks another ball in or it falls into a pocket itself. In "Mad Bomber," a ball's number value decreases with each hit. When the ball's value falls below 1, it turns into a bomb that can blow other balls off of the table.

Both the standard and the "cool" games are very entertaining, if in different ways. The standard pool games encourage a "play to win" mentality, while the "cool" games are fun to play for their non-realistic elements, such as the rocket balls.

This is the sort of game that you play repeatedly, so there's no completion bonus for winning all of the games. Nor is there a tournament mode, a ladder, or any kind of high score tracking. Instead, you get ten variations, half of which are new "cool" games. All games are designed for multiple players, meaning that you either play them hot seat (taking turns with someone else in the room) or let computer players fill the other slots.

When single player is not enough, there is free Internet play on WON.net. Joining Internet games is simplicity, just select "On-Line Game" from within the game and you're transferred to a WON.net lobby and ready to play. This extends the longevity nicely, although during my late-hour check of WON.net there weren't many (okay there were 2) players waiting for games.

Aiming can be as quick or accurate as you wish, and control is divided between the mouse for general aiming and the keyboard for fine-tuning shots. Depending on the difficulty level, an "aiming helper" will show the trajectory of your ball and the first ball that it hits. There are also alternatives for shooting the ball, from a pinball-like pull and release method to a more physical drag-and-push interface.

The user interface is streamlined and minimal, and anything you could want is no more than two clicks away. Video rules for the current game are always close at hand, a welcome addition considering some of the more esoteric game variations that are included.

The view of the table can be rotated in any direction and at various elevations. Perhaps the only disappointment about the game lies in the fact that you cannot rotate or zoom the table in real time. There are probably reasons for this, such as the time it takes to render the table, but it's still a disappointment. In fact this was the first maneuver I attempted to learn (and who can blame me, given that the game's name has "3D" in the title). Still, the table positioning interface is plenty useable, if not quite what is to be expected in a market full of high frame rate, first person shooters.

The tables are gorgeously rendered, some with custom felt to indicate the game currently being played. The balls roll convincingly across the table, with the ball designs doing what they should when the balls rotate. The scuffed felt on the tables is a nice added touch. Two of the games also have alternate ball sets, although their effect on the overall look of the game is minimal.

The entire game is wrapped in an attractive, stylish 1950s diner user interface that seems strangely appropriate.

The graphics are 800x600 in 16-bit color, and everything looks sharp and colorful because of it. The varied table graphics make for a wide variety of colors between the different games.

Ah, the sweet sound of.pool. You've got the sound of pool balls hitting each other, and the stick hitting the cue ball. All of these are as they should be. There is a female narrator who oversees the help system and does some commentary when necessary during a game. The games all have different background music, which is generally non-intrusive.

Minimum installation took approximately 54 megabytes of space, and loading delays in this mode of installation were minimal to non-noticeable.

It should be mentioned that this is a game for the value-minded, with a suggested retail price of $19.95. Expectations have been tailored appropriately.

This is a solid game for the casual electronic pool player, with enough alternatives to keep it interesting and fun. What it lacks in hard core options, it makes up for in style and playability.