Carrom3d Pro - Billiard Galore

Summary

Ever heard of Carrom before? Neither had I before I came across this particular Android game and did some quick Wikipedia research online. As far as I understand, Carrom is a billiard-like game originally from Asia. Billiards and Carrom are not unrelated, which explains why the international Carrom championship takes place even in Europe.

Carrom3d Pro brings Carrom to your Android screen. If you happen to be more of a pool fan, Carrom3d also lets you play 8-ball or 9-ball pool, as well as snooker in preview-mode.
 

 With Carrom3d, you can play – you guessed it! – Carrom! But remember that other forms of billiard are available in preview mode. First off, let’s explain a few things about the game itself. You have the following game modes:

• Square Carrom
• Hexagonal Carrom
• Round Carrom

In Carrom you play against another player. The aim of the game is to shoot your nine play pieces of the same color into the corner pockets of the game board using so-called strikers (cues). The striker is placed at the baseline after every move and is then used to strike the pieces again. You’re allowed to hit your opponent’s pieces in order to pocket your own. The winner receives an amount of points that is equal to the number of opponent’s pieces remaining on the board. If you win the board with the “queen” piece, you receive an extra 3 points. Starting with 22 points you cannot receive any additional points with the queen. The whole game is over when a player collects 25 points, but in no more than eight boards! The rules may sound a bit confusing, but the game is extremely entertaining. If Carrom isn’t your cup of tea, you can also try out the preview billiard versions. Here you can play 8-ball or 9-ball in a realistic 3D setting. Snooker is also included.

Feel free to play all of these games in solo player mode without any opponent. Once you get bored of playing on your own, Carrom3d Pro offers you a couple of fun features. First, you can play against the computer (droid). Second, you can play against someone on the other side of the globe via a network game. When you play against the computer, you can select following difficulty levels:

• Rookie
• Graduate
• Experienced
• Veteran

In an online game against real opponents, you can either play someone randomly or start up your own game board and have others join you. What a great concept! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to try out this feature because I wasn’t able to find anyone to play against. Should you have better luck than me, please leave a short comment below.

I forgot to mention one of the game modes: Crokinole. Here you’ve got a limited number of pieces available and your goal is to move your opponent’s pieces off the game board. The player with the most pieces on the playing field in the end wins the game.

In settings you’ll find a physics section for every game. Here you can adjust all the physical options, down to the smallest details. Generally speaking, you can also customize your game design. It is possible, for example, to change the look of your playing table. As already mentioned, you’ll find a set of different difficulty levels. Finally, you have the option of adjusting the display settings to limit battery and graphics use. You can turn off shadows, as well as hide the background.

Bottom Line:
Carrom3d Pro gets you the most bang for your buck! This game has got above-average graphics and stellar game play. All the features Carrom3d Pro has to offer are really great. Customization is made easy with the settings menu. You’re always welcome to try out the Carrom 3d demo version, before opting for the full version.
 

The design is really excellent. Not many Android apps can pride themselves with having such awesome 3d graphics. A lot of attention has been paid to details with this game. Some devices might experience problems loading these advanced graphics, but you should be able to adjust things in your settings accordingly.
The game is controlled almost entirely with the fingertip. You pull and slide around the playing area to get a better perspective of the entire game. Once you’ve selected your general direction, you can fine tune your shot by move the cue around with your finger. You’ll notice that you can align your shot with amazing precision. A small line shows you the trajectory of your shot. The force of your strike can be adjusted by pulling the cue back with your finger. Make your move by pressing “shoot”. With the plus and minus buttons you can zoom in and out of the playing field. Your points are displayed on the top left and your opponent’s on the top right.

Carrom3d Pro ran smoothly and without any error messages on my HTC Desire.

Carrom3d Pro can be downloaded from the Android Market for $1.99
Carrom3d Demo is also available for free from the Android Market.