It's ironic that new videogame publisher Iceberg Interactive has brought out this new poker game, as you need a cool head and rock steady nerves to be successful in this increasingly popular form of gambling.

Sensibly, the developers have concentrated on the most highly favoured No Limit Texas Hold'em version of the game and the aim is to give you a thorough explanation of how poker is played, explain all the different hands and most importantly demonstrate how to improve your performance.

You begin by setting up your avatar (very little choice here apart from gender, although you can substitute a photo of yourself) and then, unless you're an experienced player, it's worth going straight to the tutorial which simply and clearly outlines the rules, hands and some of the jargon.

Once you're confident enough to play, you can decide whether to opt for a single game or take part in a tournament. At this point there are several variables you have control over. For instance, there are 46 different locations which will provide amiable backgrounds to make the ambience more interesting. Table sizes range from 2 to 10 players and you can alter the proficiency of your opponents (Pro, Legend, Beginner, Advanced) and their playing style (passive, aggressive, variable) and even introduce an optional luck factor.

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There are seven tournaments in total, beginning with the Private Poker Lounge that has free entry and just 30 opponents, right up to the Main World Tournament where you require a massive £20,000 to play and you're up against 2,000 of the game's finest. If that's not challenging enough for you, there's a separate Career mode which opens with an animation sequence where you're a cowboy robbed of your life savings who's helped by a friendly 'Indian' to polish your poker skills in order to win it all back again from the villains.

The developers have done all they can to make the game as entertaining as possible, with live commentary on every hand, a jukebox that you can import your own songs into and selectable dynamic or static cameras to imitate TV coverage.

You'll get a range of expressions from your 3D modelled competitors, although we didn't come across anyone having a tantrum or accusing anyone of cheating... If you need a break from each round you can also dip into one of the four mini-games which involve recognising a winning hand, answering a poker quiz, memorizing pairs of cards and guessing whether the next card is higher or lower in value.

Not only is this an ideal introduction for beginners but you can also share your improving skills with friends online as there's a network option for between 2 and 10 people to take each other on. If there is a criticism of this game, it's that it's a shame they didn't expand this limit to the 2,000 offered in the Main World Tournament, because you could then have had worldwide rankings and increased the already considerable addiction value a hundred-fold. One other good point; it's playable on both Mac and PC.

Whether you're a poker novice wondering what all the fuss is about or an experienced pro who wants to improve your bluffing skills and take on some challenging AI, this is an ideal way to become a poker master without losing oodles of dosh.