Tennis Addict

.: By: Shaun Beane :: Device used: iPAQ H3650 :: November 29, 2001 :: Buy this game :.

After playing ZIOSoft's Pocket Athlete, I really got a hunger for more sports games to install on my handheld buddy. Tennis Addict looked interesting, but I was wondering how tennis could possibly be made entertaining on such a small screen. What about controls? I didn't think much of it until I got the chance to review it.

I've always enjoyed playing tennis. Sure, I get frustrated and break my racquet every now and then. But who doesn't? :-)

Hexacto is the developer behind another Pocket PC first - Bounty Hunter 2099, the first pinball game for the Pocket PC. Since I really liked Bounty Hunter, I had pretty high hopes for Tennis Addict, hoping Hexacto continued to use stunning graphics, integrated great sound, and built a game with replayability (something lacking in many Pocket PC titles).

Tennis Addict uses a standard ActiveSync install, and is able to be installed to a compact flash card with no problems at all. The game does take a couple of seconds to load; not a big deal, because it's only when opening the game, not in between each set or when starting a new game. Screen space is optimized by using landscape mode.

Opening menus give you the option to start a new game, resume your previous game, view your statistics, change game options, enjoy a training session, view the game credits or quit. The game options are as follows: toggle sound, toggle sound effects, game speed (slow, normal, fast), and change set count for a Quick Match. Resume lets you pick up where you left off if you quit in the middle of a match. One downfall is that you can only have one saved match at a time. The Quick Match option gives you the ability to play a "quick" (tennis is never really quick) game.

Upon starting a game you must select your player and racquet. All the players have varying skills, speed, and power. Next, you choose your opponent, with the same variation of skills, speed and power. You even get to choose the type of court you play on: indoor carpet, outdoor clay, and real or synthetic grass. I was surprised by the number of opponents that are available, something that definitely gives the game some added playability. Watch out though, for some of the players are pretty tough. You'll need to stick with one player and build up the rankings so you can be competitive.

Before you start playing, you'll want to walk through the training session. What a great feature. Most games I just dive right into, spending several minutes trying to figure out all the controls, finally get frustrated, go to the website looking for instructions only to find little or no documentation. Kudos to the developers for including this feature! During the training, you'll be shown how to move your player by tapping the screen, how to serve, and how to return. Basic tennis rules are also displayed for those who have never played tennis before.

The gameplay is simply outstanding. I can't emphasize enough how fun it is to play the game. I have mostly played the best of 3 sets which can end up taking quite a bit of time; indeed, I've had several games last over an hour. You can, however, always quit playing and then resume your game later on. Again, this is my one gripe. I might have a tournament going on and if I quit out of it, the next time I play, I might want to play just a Quick Match. If I do, though, my saved tournament is deleted. This seems an odd oversight for such a fine game to be missing such a basic element.

Hexacto has developed what they call Precise Stylus Input (PSI) technology, and it works great. You pretty much use the stylus for everything during gameplay. To serve, you drag your stylus from your player toward the direction you want the ball to go. How far you drag your stylus relates to how far the ball goes. Since you always serve cross court in tennis, a short diagonal drag of the stylus will suffice for your serve. The faster your stylus moves as you drag, the harder the ball is hit.

Once you have served the ball, you'll probably want to move your player to the middle of the court in order to be ready for the return. To move your player, you simply tap where you want your player to move to. As the ball is returned, the same motion for serving is used to return the ball. You pressing the stylus near where the ball lands to move into the correct position and then drag in the direction you want the ball to be hit and with the speed you desire. After just a couple of serves, I think you'll get the hang of it.

The graphics are also outstanding; even the crowd is detailed, not just a variety of color blotches like I have seen even on desktop games. The camera angle during play is at a very comfortable elevated level behind your player. I had no problems with the animation either, which is very smooth, even with several other programs running in the background.

The game sounds are not anything to write home about. But, then again, have you ever watched a tennis game on TV before? The only thing you hear is the ball bouncing, players grunting and the occasional cheer from the crowd. So, Tennis Addict has the ball bouncing and crowd cheering. No grunting players, however! Be a little creative and don't be such a slave to realism - I like music when playing games... yes, even during a tennis game.

Overall, I have to say I haven't been this pleased with a game since Rocket Elite. Tennis Addict is definitely addicting. From reading comments on several forums, I think several others agree. The purchase price is a little hefty ($29.95), but I guess it's justified in the quality. You know what would be really cool? To be able to play Tennis Addict against another Pocket PC user via infrared or Bluetooth! How fun would that be! Just dreaming...

Pros:

• Precise Stylus Input technology.

• Training sessions.

• Variety of opponents and courts.

• Landscape mode!

• Statistics and online rankings.

Cons:

• Can't save multiple games!

• Boring sounds, lack of music.

.: Game category: Sports Games :: Reviews Index :: Buy this game :.