I reviewed Blast Billiards Touch more than a year ago, so it was somewhat surprising to see an update appear on iTunes over the weekend.  Blast Billiards Touch started life as a popular Flash game, but the iPhone version was hobbled by inaccurate aiming and some very frustrating levels.  I gave it just 2/5 at the time.

So, what’s new in version 1.1 and why is it worth taking another look at?  The first change is the price, as the previous $0.99/£0.59 tag has been removed and the app has been made free, but with a series if small ads at the bottom of the screen.  However my interest was piqued by a new ‘arcade game mode’ which had been ‘implemented in response to customer feedback’.  Would this finally liberate Blast Billiards Touch from rubbish-aiming hell?

No, is the unfortunate answer.  What they’ve added is actually another control system, bringing the total to three, and it’s yet another variation on a theme.  The ‘arcade’ controls see you spinning the cue with your finger and holding down a ‘power’ button, which is almost exactly the same as the other systems.

The trouble with Blast Billiards Touch is it doesn’t matter where you think the cue ball will go, it’s just not going to be where it’ll end up.  Aiming, or pre-judging angles, is a pointless exercise and it’s better to just knock the bombs around the table and hope one falls in a pocket.  The level designs appear to be exactly the same too, which in the case of the Arcade section, makes them hair-pullingly frustrating.

Although I wanted to give the Classic mode a few more tries before finalizing my verdict, the game kept crashing, and I gave up after the fifth restart.

Even though it’s free – now with clunky, afterthought adverts don’t forget – Blast Billiards Touch still isn’t worth your time, and it’s almost insulting to offer yet another control method as a solution to customer feedback, as it addresses absolutely nothing that was wrong with the game.  With my cynical hat on, the only reason I can see for updating the game appears to be to attract some new players and grab some advertising revenue, rather than actually improve the frustrating game play.

I suggested not to bother with Blast Billiards Touch over a year ago, and I’m giving the same advice today.