With the advent of Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft has finally found a successful way to bring all those popular flash-based games, like those found at Yahoo! Games or MSN Games, onto the Xbox 360. In the past, developers have tried bringing these games to consoles in the form of full-fledged titles, charging a premium price for an experience that's free on a PC or Mac. Unsurprisingly, these efforts weren't too popular. But the Xbox Live Arcade bridges that divide, offering titles enhanced for, or often exclusive to, the Xbox 360 at a fraction of the cost of a traditional game, with a free demo of each game available for anyone connected to Xbox Live. And as internet billiards is ever-so-popular, it's not surprising to note one of the first games available on Xbox Live Arcade was Bankshot Billiards 2,

Bankshot Billiards 2 offers a wide selection of gameplay modes. There's 8-Ball (the classic solids-versus-strips matchup) 9-Ball (sink the 9-ball before your opponent), Cutthroat (sink your opponent's color before they sink yours), Euro 8-Ball (8-ball with colors instead of numbers), 14.1 Continuous (requiring one to call and sink 30 shots for victory), 3-Ball (whoever sinks the three balls in the least amount of shots wins), Trick Shots (a self-explanatory mode requiring the player to perform trick shots), Time Trial (sink all the balls in the least amount of time), and Golf (similar to Trick Shots, only tracking the number of shots instead of time and some trickier setups). Most gameplay modes support up to three players, either through Xbox Live or local multiplayer, with only Trick Shots, Time Trial, and Golf limited to the single player game.

Throughout all of these modes, Bankshot Billiards 2 utilizes a handy control method that allows players to easily control the force and angle of the cue stick and the spin of the cue ball by holding down the appropriate button and moving the left analog stick, with precise aiming movement toggled by holding the right trigger. Three different camera angles, a top-down view, and two side views of the table also help to facilitate precise aiming.

Furthermore, a customizable aiming aid provides three different levels of assistance, showing either an arrow leading from the cue ball, an arrow leading from the cue ball and the ball it will impact, or an arrow leading from the cue ball, the ball it will impact and an arrow of where the cue ball will go after that. Various other aspects of Bankshot Billiards 2 are also customizable, including the color of the game panel, the style of the table, the table texture, the type of wood, the type of table markers, the ball set, and even the floor texture.

The only real problem with Bankshot Billiards 2 is its requirement for multiple players to each have their own controller. With a turn-based game like billiards, I was hoping I'd be able to play with two of my friends by just passing the controller back and forth. Instead, I'm forced to wait for those three player sessions until I can afford another controller.

Bankshot Billiards 2 is available through the Xbox Live Marketplace on an Xbox 360. The full version runs for 1,200 Microsoft Points (currently $15), and is also provided for free with the purchase of an Xbox Live Premium Starter Pack. As with all Xbox Live Arcade titles, a free trial version can also be downloaded through the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Helpful Hint: Be sure to use the other camera angles to check out a tricky shot, and don't forget to hold the right trigger to make aiming just the tiniest smidge more right or left that much easier.

Our Final ScoreGood

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