I used to dream of being the next John McEnroe. I'd practise ny strokes against the
garden wall for hours on end (and play tennis too!). In the end, I never quite mastered
the backhand, but I got the tantrums down to a tee (you cannot be serious! - Ed).
And I always watched Wimbledon on the telly, even if it was just to see the lady
players in those short skirts (apart frol old 'muscles' Navratilova!). My particular
favourite was Carling Bassett. She wasn't bad, she was even seeded once (no comment! - Ed).
I hear she's got kids now.
But now I play tennis like a true professional. And you can too! Just buy my latest
bestseller, 'Play Tennis The Phil King Way'... Erm, maybe not, but everyone can hit a cross-court
volley in Pro Tennis Tour.
Mind you, hitting the fast-moving ball takes a bit of getting used to. It's just as
well there's a practise mode with a machine churning out balls in six differents patterns.
There's also an option to practise serving: a tricky task involving quickly guiding a
small cross into the serving box.
When you've mastered the various strokes possible (including lobs and smashes), you
can enter any of the four Grandslam tournaments (including Wimbledon), taking on computer
players of varying ability. Alternatively, you can play against a friend.
Of course, the question you're asking is, how does it compare to the recently rereleased
International 3D Tennis? Well, it may be simulating the same sport, but it's a totally
different sort of game. International is much easier to get into as it automatically positions
your player for every shot.
This leads to a more strategic game with long rallies. Pro is much faster paced, requiring
ultrquick reactions and snap decisions. Personally, I have to say I slightly prefer
International, but Pro is still a definite buy at this price - you'd probably pay as much '
for one strawberry at Wimbledon.