International 3D Tennis - Rerelease |
Copyright/Publisher: Palace Software, Produced by: Sensible Software, Music by: Richard Joseph,
Release Year: 1990, Rereleased by: GBH (1992), Genre: Tennis, Number Of Players: 1 or 2
As far as tennis sim's go, there have been fast ones, playable ones, impossible ones and
crappy ones. In fact, there have been more terrible sim's than you could shake a bottle
of lemon barley water at. But if you only ever buy one, International 3D Tennis should
be it.
The wire-frame graphics and use of only three colours may look disappointingly basic
at first but worry ye not, for this game means loads of variations in the gameplay.
Speed, versatility, depth and an enormous radish, this has got it all!
One or two-player options, four skill levels, 1, 3 or 5 set matches, with the option
to play on grass, clay, cement or even carpet. There's the ability to control the level
of crowd noise (phew, what a racket!), play a full season or just individual tournaments
- of which there are 72, count'em!! - to choose from, plus a save facility and in case you
get bored, ten different ways to view the court...Oh, and of course an enormous radish.
Although the players look like a pair of bent coat hangers and the racquets are
triangular, the animation is extremely good, being both sharp and smooth, albeit a little
slow. This, however, does in no way detract from the gameplay as the extra time is needed
bearing in mind the vast array of shots available and the firmness of the radish.
The title tune is a neat little rendition of the Wimbledon tournament intro (or is it
the Horse Of The Year Show?). As you progress through the different skill levels, Amateur
to Ace, the more control you have over your shots... even putting spin on the ball. Top
spin lobs? No probs! All are yours to command: volley, slice, smash and radish.
All in all, pretty damn good stuff (don't be shy, go and buy), the accuracy of play
and the sheer depth of the game is mind-boggling. So, anyone for tennis?
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