AimDrag anywhere on the cloth, or nudge the aim with the gold left and right buttons beside the table: one press moves it a small step, and holding sweeps it round. Lifting your finger only aims: it never shoots, and it never changes the power.
The aim lineThe bright line is the path of the cue ball, and the chevron on it points the way the shot goes. Where it ends, a ring shows where the cue ball will be, a faint ball shows where it must be to make contact, the gold line is the way the ball it hits will go, and the blue line is the way the cue ball leaves. If the cue ball reaches a cushion first, the pale line past the ring is the bounce, followed as far as it goes. The aim aid button beside the table turns the long predictions off, leaving a short line so the cue is never pointing at nothing.
PowerThe power slider sits beside the table. Drag it: left for a soft shot, right for a hard one. It keeps its value, so line the shot up first and set the power after, in either order, without touching the cue ball. Press Shoot to strike. You can also pull the cue back by pressing the cue ball itself and dragging; that loads the shot the same way and strikes when you let go, and the slider's own value comes back afterwards.
Cue ballThe disc beside the power slider is the face of the cue ball. Drag the red dot to the part of the ball the tip should strike. Above centre is follow: the cue ball keeps rolling forward after contact. Below centre is draw: it pulls back toward you. Left or right of centre is English: the aim line bends to show the curve, the ball it hits is thrown off the straight line, and the spin changes the angle off a cushion. Diagonals combine the two. A soft tip barely moves the ball; a firm one leans on it hard. Press the disc and use the arrow keys for the same control, or double press it to go back to a soft follow.
KeyboardThe left and right arrows nudge the aim, hold shift for a very small nudge, the up and down arrows set the power, and space shoots. C switches views and T is the top view.
ComputerThe Vs computer mode puts you against the machine, taking turns on one device. The slider on the start card sets its level from Easy, which can see the shot but not hold the line, to Ruthless, which does not miss. A shot it plays out on a copy of the table first is struck exactly that way, so a level that can afford the look lands its pots. The sharper levels also look for the combination, where the lowest ball rolls on into another ball or the 9, and play the cue ball for the shot after this one. It plays by the same nine-ball rules you do, and the two names on the card are theirs on the scoreboard.
ViewSwitches between the whole table and a view from behind the cue ball, looking down the shot. The Top button gives a locked view straight down over the table, held perfectly flat and still: aim and shoot from there like any other view, and press it again to go back.
CameraHold the middle mouse button and drag to swing right round the table: drag sideways to go round it, up and down to raise and lower your eye, and use the wheel to move in and out. On a touch screen use two fingers the same way, and pinch to move in and out. The camera stays where you leave it. A button called Reset appears once you have moved it, and puts it back.
RackBalls 1 to 9 in a diamond. The 1 sits on the foot spot, the 9 in the middle, the cue ball behind the head string.
ContactThe cue ball must hit the lowest numbered ball on the table first.
Keep shootingPot any ball on a legal shot and you stay at the table.
FoulsMissing everything, hitting the wrong ball first, potting the cue ball, or no ball reaching a cushion afterwards. The other player gets ball in hand and can put the cue ball anywhere. Drag it where you want and let go: dropping it only places it, it never shoots.
WinningPot the 9 on a legal shot and the rack is yours, whatever else is on the table.