Last Orders

It's nearly closing time at the Cue & Anchor and the pool table is free. Last Orders is proper eight-ball seen from above, with real ball physics, spin and the standard rules, played in a pub where things keep going wrong. Aim by touching the cloth, fine-tune with the ridged wheel, pull back the power slider and let go.

Between shots your player takes a sip of their pint and the Merry meter creeps up. The more merry you get, the more the cue sways, the shorter your aim guide and the more likely a hiccup at the worst moment. Order a glass of water, a bag of crisps or a lemonade to steady yourself. The computer drinks too, and gets sloppier as the night goes on.

The pub joins in. The lights go out and you play by phone torch, someone spills a drink and the balls slow and curl through the sticky patch, a slapstick bar fight bumps the table, the landlord rings the bell for a shot clock, the jukebox throws disco lights over the cloth, the landlord's dog wanders underneath, a pint glass gets left on the cloth and a stray dart pins a ball in place. Every event is announced first and never undoes a shot you've already played.

Spill a pint and the balls carve glossy tracks through the puddle and leave wet dots across the cloth. The look is chunky and arcade-bright under a moody pub lamp, with the jukebox throwing coloured light around and a phone torch when the power goes. Play the computer (it drinks too, and its own Merry meter shows it), use Quick Match to be paired with a clearly labelled computer opponent, pass the phone between two named players, or practise on a free table. Proper Pool switches the drinks and chaos off for plain eight-ball. It works with touch, mouse or keyboard, in portrait or landscape.