Oxygen revitalises 8Ball

Oxygen has revealed that 8Ball Allstars will be potting its way onto DS this summer.

By giving you what you'd expect from a pool game in a fresh and intuitive way, producer David Wiltshire believes this game will be a winner.

"We've all loved pool for years and we knew when we started that as well as getting in all of the rules, variants and features that appealed to us as pool players, we also wanted to really make the most of the DS - the WiFi, on-line, the touch screen, and so on," Wiltshire told Eurogamer.

"But I think that where the game really wins is that rather than just giving the player what he'd expect or want from pool, it manages to look and feel really fresh."

8Ball Allstars will let you choose between English and American versions of pool, playing through authentic and crazy tables in 3, 6, 8, 9 and 10 ball games.

There will be plenty of different challenges you can play through on your own; facing off against one of a dozen computer potters in tournaments, or challenging yourself to overcome specific tasks on weird and wonderful tables.

Alternatively you can challenge your friends in head-to-head or doubles games using the Wi-Fi capabilities, either globally or locally. But perhaps the snazziest multiplayer addition is the winner stays on mode that ranks you according to how well you fared.

Plus there's all the usual bits and pieces you'd expect from a ball-sinker, like the option to design your own table and character, as well as nifty cue controls and varied environments.

It all makes what Oxygen hopes to be a permanent companion on your travels.