World Poker Tour

As a lover of poker, the prospect of playing a few quick hands on the bus to wake up my brain before a hard day's work was enticing, but alas WPT is not all that it could have been. WPT is a reasonable stab at portable poker, the AI is pretty good (even if they check a lot) and bluffing them for all they're worth is rather satisfying. The graphics are a good effort, nothing groundbreaking, but they do make you feel as if you are playing someone rather than just a processor. The load times, however, got me worried my PSP had given up the ghost, and the repetitive commentary very quickly got me hunting for my i-Pod. Multiplayer is a mixed bag as well – it is refreshing playing players with differing strategies, but you need to be connected to the internet, so you can't sit on a bus and play with some mates. Also in both on and offline modes when players leave or join the table the game appears to freeze, which is a little irritating. At the end of the day, if you want to play some poker on the move, and are prepared to wait for the ludicrous load times, WPT might be worth your dollar. Personally, I would spend my 20-note on a crate of beers and a fiver bet on real poker with friends – because for many, the evening may outlast the appeal that WPT will have. [Phil Roberts]