Roland Garros 98

People say:

• Whereas we get the inane grin of Tim 'nice but dim' Henman and the Americans get Pete Cdull as you like' Sampras, the French get Roland Garros. Following the 'success' of Roland Garros 97, our Gallic friends have seen fit to knock out another one, and we're not talking about masturbation. Presumably, you're already familiar with the concept of tennis, so on to the game itself. It features four court surfaces, all of which affect the bounce of the ball differently. Standard stuff. There is a choice of 50 male and female professionals, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Again, no surprises. You can enter tournaments of varying calibres throughout the season, in an attempt to amass loads of money and ranking points. Great. On the court, only two buttons are required, offering top-spin or a slice, with adjustments to each made with the joypad. The simplistic controls are largely a good thing, enabling you to concentrate on the tennis rather than test your manual dexterity. And it's all right. Some lengthy rallies are possible and, with practice, some varied and accurate shots can be executed. Essentially, it's No Frills tennis, eschewing fancy camera angles and graphical polish in favour of straightforward action. Inevitably, some dullard will claim that the tension of the net is slightly inaccurate, but that's not really the point. It's a no mess, no fuss game that you can pick up and play as easily as you can put it down.