Carambola Demo

Although there are an awful lot of pool variations out in the world, only a handful enjoy worldwide popularity, such as 8-Ball and 9-Ball. However, many other fun versions have been devised, and you can do a bit of research and enjoy something different the next you are near a pool table. Not only that, but you may also put your skills to the test in other ways, which can be helpful in the long run.

Carambola is the name of a French pool variation in which you have to play with only three balls, including the cue ball. The goal is to touch both of the colored balls with your white one in a single shot, which grants you the chance to try again. Your turn ends when you fail to score a carambola, and the match ends when the players decide that they had enough, or when a certain number of points is reached.

Unlike regular pool, the table in the game at hand has no pockets, which means that you can basically do anything with the cue ball and not have to worry about making a foul. On the other hand, it also means that anyone can just put as much power as they can into the shot and hope for the best, which kind of eliminates strategy from the equation. However, this shouldn’t be a problem if you are playing with someone who’s doing it for fun.

Since it usually takes a few steps to achieve the double hit, you really need to calculate trajectories in order to have an idea about how the balls are going to behave. Hence, it might not be a good game for beginners, especially since you need to play a lot with trick shots and similar concepts. On the other hand, the rules are very simple to grasp, so anyone can just start playing with ease.

Speaking of which, the controls are intuitive and simple, since all you need to do is click on the cue ball and drag the mouse in order to increase or decrease the power. There is also a line that shows you the initial trajectory, which comes in handy if you are not sure about how to align the shot. The visual quality is decent, although it is rather disappointing that you cannot change the perspective.

In the end, Carambola’s greatest feat is the fact that you can play it online with other people, which makes the experience a lot more entertaining. However, an AI is also included for your pleasure, although it is also possible to practice alone if you want to.