At first, playing the game is almost as simple as Pong: Move your character toward the ball and press a button. Provided they're close enough to the ball, they should be able to return the volley. To progress through the increasingly tough challengers, though, players will need to learn how to direct the ball, perform lobs and smashes, and use finesse with topspins and backspins.

The game still has a few areas that could be improved. First, there's no way to change the court perspective--one side of the court is always in the foreground, the other in the background. It's easier to play the game when your character is right in front of you, but the characters switch sides between games in the set. It makes sense in the two-player game, since having the camera move with the character would require a split-screen arrangement, but gamers should at least have the option of staying with their tennis pro during computer matches. The only other complaint is that while Sega Sports Tennis has an excellent two-player game--with both the singles and cooperative or competitive doubles--there are no three- or four-player options, as there were in the Dreamcast version. Granted, there are only two controller slots on the PS2, but plenty of other games get around this by using the Multitap accessory.

Still, even with only two at a time, Sega Sports Tennis is a great party game since the matches are short and anyone--even those who know nothing about tennis and have never played a video game in their lives--can pick up this game and have fun. --Porter B. Hall

Pros:

• Easy to pick up and play
• Gentle learning curve
• TV-style presentation
• Competitive and cooperative 2-player doubles

Cons:

• Fixed court perspective
• No 3- or 4-player option