[{"TitleName":"Hustler","Publisher":"Bubble Bus Software","Author":"Dave Collins","YearOfRelease":"1984","ZxDbId":"0002399","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Spectrum Issue 10, Dec 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-11-15","Editor":"Roger Munford","TotalPages":106,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Munford\r\nDeputy Editor: Tina Boylan\r\nTechnical Editor: Peter Shaw\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nSoftware Consultant: Gavin Monk\r\nContributors: John Torofex, Tony Samuels, Trevor Merchant, Ross Holman, Dave Nicholls, Roger Willis, Ian Beardsmore, Martin Evans, Robert Stockton, Max Phillips, Terry Bulfib, Mike Leaman, Toni Baker\r\nArt Editor: Hazel Bennington\r\nArt Assistant: Steve Broadhurst\r\nGroup Advertising Manager: Jill Harris\r\nAdvertising: Dave Baskerville\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint\r\nGroup Art Director: Perry Neville\r\nPublisher: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England. Telephone (all departments): [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Spectrum ©1985 Felden productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Spectrum is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"HUSTLER\r\nBubble Bus\r\n£6.99\r\r\n\r\nRoss: Is there really a market for another pool game? Answer... probably only if it's sufficiently different from the others to maintain interest. Bubble Bus must have recognized this because Hustler provides six different games to choose from.\r\n\r\nHaving selected your particular poison, you see on-screen the table, balls and a status line at the bottom. The screen is white with green bars representing the cushions, and the balls are black - thus avoiding attribute corruption problems; they also have their numbers on them. To make a shot you move a cross to some point along the desired line between cue ball and object ball, and hit the 'fire' key. The speed of the shot is controlled by a strength indicator. Unfortunately, the speed of the balls never gets much beyond sluggish ... they just bounce for longer. An added refinement is the kind and strength of spin.\r\n\r\nIf you haven't got a pool game then this isn't bad.","ReviewerComments":["It's impossible for me to be objective about this pool package because I find the original game as objectionable as any programmed simulation. Trying desperately to be fair, I can only say that it must be possible to create better visual representation and action than this offering.\r\nRoger Willis\r\n0/5 MISS","The balls move accurately, but rather too slowly for my liking. The choice of games keeps it interesting for a while but it isn't good enough to knock CDS's Pool from the top of the Spectrum pool game league.\r\nDave Nicholls\r\n2/5 MISS"],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"59","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ross Holman","Score":"2","ScoreSuffix":"/5 MISS"},{"Name":"Roger Willis","Score":"0","ScoreSuffix":"/5 MISS"},{"Name":"Dave Nicholls","Score":"2","ScoreSuffix":"/5 MISS"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer News Issue 83, Oct 1984","Price":"","ReleaseDate":"1984-10-12","Editor":"Peter Worlock","TotalPages":66,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editorial\r\nEditor: Peter Worlock\r\nProduction Editor: Lauraine Turner\r\nDeputy Production Editor: Leah Batham\r\nSub-Editor: Harriet Arnold\r\nEditor's Assistant: Karen Isaac\r\nNews Editor: David Guest\r\nNews Writer: Ralph Bancroft\r\nNews Writer/Sub Editor: Sandra Grandison\r\nFeatures Editor: John Lettice\r\nSoftware Editor: Bryan Skinner\r\nPeripherals Editor: Kenn Garroch\r\nHardware Editor: Stuart Cooke\r\nPrograms Editor: Nickie Robinson\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nArt Editor: David Alexander\r\nAssistant Art Editor: Tim Brown\r\nLayout Artist: Bruce Preston\r\nPublisher: Cyndy Miles\r\nPublishing Assistant: Tobe Bendeth\r\n\r\nAdvertising\r\nGroup Advertising Manager: Peter Goldstein\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Bettina Williams\r\nAssistant Advertisement Managers: Laura Cade, Claire Rowbottom\r\nSales Executives: Claire Barnes, Phil Benson, Mike Blackman, Julian Burns, Steve Corrick, Tony Keefe, Andrew Flint, Christian McCarthy, Isabel Middleton, Sarah Musgrave, Tony O'Reilly, Anita Stokes\r\nProduction: Richard Gaffrey\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Jan Moore\r\nSubscription Enquiries: Gill Stevens\r\nSubscription Address: [redacted]\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising Address: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]\r\n© VNU 1983. No material maybe reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\nPhotoset by Quickset, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Chase Web Offset, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Seymour Press, [redacted]\r\nRegistered at the PO as a newspaper"},"MainText":"PRICE: £6.99\r\nPUBLISHER: Bubble Bus [redacted]\r\n\r\nHustler is a pool simulation, but don't unpack your trunks - the weather's terrible and it's the other sort of pool.\r\n\r\nOn loading, you're treated to a wonderful rendition of some purdy tune while you browse through the game options menu or the high score table. Actually, the music's great.\r\n\r\nThere are six game variations for one or two players: for the single player - any ball in any pocket, balls in order and ball in its pocket; two players - score the pockets, mini pool and lowest and highest.\r\n\r\nScore the Pockets involves getting a numbered ball into its correspondingly numbered pocket. Mini pool is just like club pool, but instead of potting spots and stripes, you pot numbers one to three or four to six depending on who pots what first. Lowest and highest simply involves player one potting balls one to three while player two pots four to six; last one out's a sissy.\r\n\r\nBuilt into Hustler is a remarkably diligent referee who not only keeps score, but spots fouls and awards extra shots to the opposition accordingly.\r\n\r\nAnother nice feature is the spin option. Besides hitting the cue ball with varying force, you can also add top, bottom, left or right spin, with a touch that ranges from ever-so subtle to quite devastating. Theoretically at least, some nifty shooting could be possible here.\r\n\r\nI say theoretically not because of some fault with this particular game, but more a failing with all versions of computer pool. None of them even attempt to transpose the real 3D, sideways on view of a pool table in the simulation. Even with the smooth graphics, it's not a simulation at all and it's a rather boring way to spend your time.\r\n\r\nAs far as computer pool goes this is a very good version, but it just doesn't go far enough.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"49","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Roger Howarth","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]