Maximum Games Snooker 19 - The Official Video Game - PlayStation 4 (PS4)

Snooker’s perhaps at its most exciting when Ronnie O’Sullivan is complaining about the stench of tournament venues and Mark Williams is hosting press conferences in the nude. There’s none of the side-theatre in Snooker 19, though: just good honest baize buccaneering with 128 of the world’s top professionals.

While there has been plenty of billiards on the PlayStation 4 since launch, this is the first fully licensed instalment of the generation. Every venue from the real-world circuit is represented, including the Crucible in Sheffield and the Alexandra Palace in London; dozens of the players have been face-scanned, so they look uncannily like their flesh-based counterparts.

And the game plays nicely, even if it is a little light on features and modes. Shots are performed using a three-tier setup mechanic, which provides you with an overhead view, a third-person view, and then a cinematic view. You cue using a flick mechanic on the right analogue stick, and higher difficulties demand more accuracy than the easier settings.

You can apply top-spin, back-spin, and side; you can also alter the cue’s elevation, and determine the shot’s power. It feels like you have full control over every shot, and poor positioning or a missed pot will always come down to your own personal execution, rather than unrealistic physics. There could have been more aiming aid options to be fair, but this is a minor gripe.