Annabel Croft looked far better modelling a tennis skirt than a jumpsuit and headphones. Given the choice between strawberries and cream and the lady herself, ADRIAN PITT knows what he’d go for! (Strawberries are quite nice this time of year, aren’t they?!)

I don’t believe it! At long last a tennis sim I actually enjoy! Not that I tell in love with the game straight away, mind. It took hall an hour’s hard lobbing and thwacking (let’s keep it clean, please! —Ed) before I took to this like a sheep to wellies...

Tennis games are timeless. Graphics aren’t usually their most outstanding feature, but if the sim plays well, you’ve found yourself a right little smasher!

Speaking of which, Wimbledon Tennis plays like a dream! The first thing you notice is how fast the competitors move. Getting used to the control mechanism and the speed of your player takes a while, but once mastered you’ll be hammering that ball like a good un’l

Slam! Bam! Thank you, ma’am!

First things first. Decide whether to play against the computer, a friend — or how about a game of doubles? There are endless combinations.

Select the free match option and play one against one. Strangely enough, playing against the Master System isn’t as terrifying as it sounds: there’s a fairly balanced jaunt to be had. Before a match with a human opponent, get in some practice with your 8-bit buddy!

You need to be a brave old cookie to take part in the Grandslam Tournament, facing some of the toughest opponents the tennis world has to offer.

You start in the quarter finals of the American Open and on winning that prestigious trophy, it’s off to Australia, France and finally Wimbledon itself, where your talent and prowess fall under the critical gaze of a home crowd.

A great feature of Wimbledon Tennis are the points you allocate your player in three areas: speed, power and skill. You start with 15 points and are left to decide how best to distribute them.

On winning a series of three or six sets, you’re allowed a few extra points. Why not bump up that skill level if your man’s flagging a little?

A whole lorra lobbing!

All the usual guidelines of tennis apply: fault, default, net etc. If you’re not familiar with ‘em, have a good browse through a sport’s encyclopaedia, ‘cause the rules ain’t in the instruction manual!

The pad moves your man around the tennis court. A choice of three playing surfaces are available: clay, hard or lawn. Lawn has the lowest bounce factor, clay the highest.

Serve, smash or lob with button , and execute a forehand or backhand movement with . The exact stroke depends on where you are in relation to the net and the kind of shot hurtling toward you.

The players race around at quite a pace! Graphically, they’re small yet perfectly formed (bit like Gabriella Sababni, know what I mean?! Not ‘arf!).

Animation’s top notch. When a player wins a game, he throws his arms in the air, performs a merry little dance and somersaults a couple of times to show his delight!

On the other side of the net, his downtrodden opponent stamps his foot, smashes his racket on the floor, a la McEnroe, and falls flat on his back in disgust!

A quick look around the court and you’ll see appears someone’s locked the ballboys in the changing rooms! The stands are jam-packed with tennis buffs who applaud and cheer when a good shot’s executed.

At the end of each game, the scoreboard pops up, just to keep you in check and show how well you’re not doing!

A smasher of a game

Wimbledon Tennis is nicely presented throughout, from the options screen with its choice of preset players, simultaneous two-player mode, password system and points allocation facility, to the match’s exciting gameplay, smooth scrolling and fast, well animated sprites.

The only bugbear’s the sound. It’s atrocious! The ditty that plays throughout each set is really annoying. Reach for the volume knob immediately — you have been warned!

WT will suit both the novice and professional tennis nut. Grab yourself a bottle of Robinson’s Barley Water (blatant advertising! —Ed), a sweat band and a couple of well bouncy balls and buy Wimbledon Tennis now!

(And that’s from a man who thought Agassi were a company who produced flatulence tablets!)

ADE

Producer

Sega

GG

N/A

MD

N/A

Memory

256K

Players

1-2

Price

£29.99

SF Rating

Presentation

90% - Passwords, points facility

Visuals

82% - Nice backgrounds, smallish sprites

Sonics

59% - Annoying in-game ditty, fair FX

Playability

78% - Soon becomes easy to play

Lastability

81% - Two-player option’s fun

82%

A timeleass game with great appeal

Rating

82

Reviewer

Sega Force magazine

Region

UK

Scans

Sega Force - Issue 06

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