Everything you'd want from a darts sim has been included, such as practise boards with treble and double zones a third thinner than match boards, and different barrel weights to choose from to adjust your basic aim. The physics have been improved from last year's game, and have been coded by a man who, according to the PR rep, "designs guidance systems for nuclear missiles". Maybe we should be donning powder blue hats and inspecting his darts before he throws...
The 3D dartboards are a tad low-res, but the darts have full collision detection and affect each other if they touch. There's also a heartbeat sound effect for tension which works quite well. The only thing the game is really lacking is an online multiplayer mode. But it's probably best played with friends in the same room anyway.
We're not sure how many people the game will ultimately appeal to, as a dartboard and darts probably costs less than the price of the game, although it's unarguably safer if children are to be let loose with it. But as a party game it does have its merits, so we'll see how the finished version shapes up before giving our verdict. PDC World Championship Darts 2008 is out in mid-January for Wii, PS2 and PC, with a PSP version scheduled for April.
