Super Tennis

So you still haven't found a tennis video game that comes remotely close to qualifying as a championship contender? Your courtside blues are over! Super Tennis by Nintendo walks away with Game-Pro's 16-bit Grand Slam tennis trophy.

Tennis for Two

Lace up your Pumps and re-string your racquets all you tennis doubles teams, Super Tennis is built for multi-player comfort. One player can take on the computer in a singles or doubles matchup, but grab a friend for the best in SNES tennis action. Go head-to-head against your bud in singles or doubles, or put it on the line together against the CPU. The only element lacking element is an option for three- or four-player interactivity, but that's because no such adaptor exists for the Super Nintendo! Too bad!

Players from Peoria

If you're into video games that imitate life, forget it, Super Tennis' players are fictional. But each one has individual stats and characteristics, so player-selection strategy is a must. You can tour the Men's or Women's World Circuit, enter tourneys at selected court sites, and make a play for a trophy and a password. The characters are drawn in that silly Super Mario vein, but the fluid animations and crisp top-angled court scrolling are simply the best ever for a tennis game. Likewise, the sound effects, such as the reverberations of the ball, the roar of the crowd, and the "thwack" of your racquet, sound oh so sweet! Too bad more digitized voices other than "Out", "Fault", "Deuce", and "Let" aren't used.

ProTip: Amy and John have powerful ground strokes which make them the strongest all-around players.

Racquet Control

Most tennis titles contain a limited range of controls, moves, and shots when compared with "the real thing", but you're all over the court in Super Tennis. The SNES pad's four fire buttons trigger a Flat (B), Slice (A), Topspin (X), or Lob (Y) shot at the baseline, and control Volleys at the net. Your L and R buttons at the top of the controller add left or right Spin, respectively. Also, you have the ability to dive for just-out-of-reach balls. No jerky movements here, the players are smooth as an Ivan Lendl or a Boris Becker... well, almost. About the only thing you can't do is badmouth the ump's calls! (Although you do throw a mini-tantrum and yell "Rats" and "No!" if you miss a shot or lose the match. You think that's screwy, the Japanese version of Super Tennis contains even more risqué language we're too polite to print!)

• To execute a drop shot at the net, hold down Up if you're on the far court or Down if you're on the near court, and then press A.
• To pull off an unreturnable slice serve, stand in the spot indicated in the above photo, hold the direction on the pad your serve is travelling (Right if you're serving right or Left if you're serving left) plus Spin, then hit the ball just before its lowest point Bingo!

Line Call

Super Tennis serves up some of the best game-play, graphics, sounds, and all-around fast action in a tennis, or for that matter any sports game ever. The realism is uncanny, right down to the obnoxious ball boys who prowl the net between points. Super Tennis delivers!