Now heres a game for all the guys out there: Womens Tennis. Forget Henmans eternal (hopeless) quest for the Wimbledon crown, the ladies are much more entertaining to watch. The first platform to welcome Pro Tennis WTA Tour is the Game Boy Advance; other versions are set to follow.
Endorsed by the Womens Tennis Association, the game stars 20 of the worlds most talented female players. From a cast including Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Martina Hingis and star-of-the-packaging photo Jelena Dokic, each of the players bring their own unique styles to the game.
Play itself is centred around three main game modes. Exhibition matches, as with most sports titles, offer a quick one-off game. WTA tour mode is main focus of the game, giving the player the opportunity to enter into full tournaments and improve his/her WTA ranking with successful performances. As is expected of GBA games these days, a multiplayer link mode is available so players can compete with GBA-owning friends.
The developers have implemented two very different control systems. Easy mode features an auto-shot button, which automatically places each return, whilst the more demanding Expert option gives full control over the slice, power and timing of each shot. Shots are also affected by the type of surface being played on, with clay, hard and grass courts available.
Pro Tennis is well presented throughout, with a nice cartoon feel and well-drawn caricatures of the players. Its easy to pick up and play, offering a similar play mechanic to the great Super Tennis on the SNES. Longevity is ensured with the inclusion of four difficulty modes and a host of secret modes, such as US international matches, night games and additional courts and bonuses.