Whilst having a quick look back at my review of last year’s WC Snooker 2003 my mind wandered and I got to thinking what a remarkable amount of "stuff" has happened in that year; how some things have improved vastly, how little some things have changed, and how some things are inexplicably worse, despite best intentions – and this goes for Codemaster’s top snooker game too. Just like the game, some things won’t need altering from last year’s review at all, including the opening statement…

With inimitable timing (as I speak Wimbledon’s just finished, and the brilliant Roger Federerererer won again), Codies get their snooker game on the shelves. You have to presume that they planned for it to coincide with the World Championships in April, but whatever the reason for the delay, as fans of the series and players of the game we’re glad it’s here again, albeit at a daft time of year.

The mechanics and excellent ball physics of the game will be familiar to anyone who’s played the previous three incarnations (the original was on PSone). The incredibly complex possible interactions between balls and cushions during any snooker shot are replicated with remarkable accuracy, and unlike virtually every other Snooker and Pool simulation ever, rarely fail to convince. Three degrees of difficulty sensibly don’t improve the quality of the opposition, but cleverly make the game easier for you - playing the game with the rookie aiming aids makes it possible to pot and build breaks like a pro in no time (I know I’m a veteran of these games, but five frames in I’d made a couple of 50 breaks, and Diddly showed off with a delightful 103… (I really enjoyed sitting through that). Just like the real game, practice and getting a feel for the table is vital, and judgement of pace on shots and the subsequent position on the next ball is everything. Thankfully the interface has lost the gaudy colouring of last year, and has returned to a more appropriate look. There’s also a handy new spin indicator to show you exactly where the cue will contact the cueball, something that has been standard in many Snooker/Pool games for years, but WCS gets for the first time this year.

Inexplicably there’s no player editor to make a replica of yourself this year, you just get to pick from the selection of made-up players – disappointing after the likes of Tiger Woods and Tony Hawks Underground’s player edit functions. And surprisingly, there is still no option to make a female player – don’t they know how many girlies play games now, and how many are snooker fans?

There’s notable improvement in the game’s overall look – the balls and players have been improved, but as the players used to look like Resident Evil zombies that’s not saying much – at least they’re motion captured now and look vaguely human. With the TV-style presentation there’s a ubiquitous ‘pocket’ camera but this just manages to spoil things a bit as it’s rather overused (you can ‘demand’ the overhead cam by holding triangle though, but a choice of cameras would be infinitely preferable). The players are much better animated than before, but oddly don’t facially resemble their real life counterparts as well as last year’s game - and still take an age to take their shot (they’re more “Thorburn” than “O’Sullivan”), and you’ll definitely be yelling “GET ON WITH IT” at CPU opponents on more than one occasion – the referee is painfully slow to replace balls too, but if you hear his voice he sounds like he’s almost comatose so maybe that’s why. You can speed everything up by holding the circle button down or turning the player animations off, but this seems to defeat much of the game’s best intentions. This 2004 edition also still insists that you save everything separately, options and career – so just because the game has saved a new high break don’t presume that it’s saved your tournament win and turn the PS2 off like we did once (it’s very annoying when you come back and have to play a tournament that you won all over again).

Two other major flaws in the game, and things I’d really hoped they’d cure for this year’s game are the quirky facts that it’s sometimes easier to miss when the ball is close to a pocket than when it’s clear of the jaws (especially if you’re playing on a small screen), as the aiming lines all get a bit messy and indistinct when the object ball is close to a pocket. Also, should your opponent foul then you’re expected to decide whether you want to play or to put him back in without getting a proper look at the table – which is hardly fair, or realistic.

The trick shot mode adds some necessary variety and challenge, some fun games (mostly against the clock type stuff, games called “Time Bandits” and “Countdown” – you get the idea) also make good multiplayer games. As with last year’s game, the inclusion of superbly rendered pool tables (8 ball & 9 ball) is a brilliant idea, and they come complete with a trickshot mode of their own and pockets that look like buckets after a championship snooker table’s.