8 Ball Pool for iOS

8 Ball Pool from Miniclip may lack the worn felt and smudges of blue chalk, but the game otherwise offers the same pleasure of setting up shots, judging angles, and pocketing balls as playing a real game of pool.

Pros

Realistic gameplay: 8 Ball Pool might be as close as you get to playing a real billiards match on a small screen. From the clacking sounds to the accurate physics of balls carroming off cushions and applying spin to the cue ball, the game feels and plays like a digital version of pool. One major difference, however: The game displays guides to help you line up shots and see which direction the cue ball will carrom in.

Free-to-play: As long as you win more than you lose and your stack of coins lasts, you can keep playing for free. But once you run short, you'll need to buy coins.

Play for a little or play for a lot: The game pairs you with live players by level, and you can play for different price awards. As you complete matches, you level up and earn coins and other items.

Cons

Overstepping permission requests: The game requests access to such personal data as your contacts and user data, and you can't at times leave the request screen without granting permission.

Pushes microtransactions: The game keeps its microtransactions right in front of you before and after billiard matches. And while you can use coins you've won as entry fees, if you run short, you'll need to buy coins with your own cash, starting at $1.99 and topping out at $99.99.

Bottom Line

8 Ball Pool pushes microtransactions at every step, but as long as your coins hold out, the game provides endless billiards fun against live opponents.