Hold the traffic; second serve

No smooth Desmond Lynam introductions and not a drop of Robinson's 'Barely' Water in sight, but luckily you don't need either in this smashing and (ouch!) zippy game of tennis. New balls please.
Gideon Kibblewhite

It must be that time of year again (if memory serves - the weather's clumsily out of sync as usual). The flood of football sims we've enjoyed has dried to a trickle and we're suddenly faced with the horrifying possibility of having to venture outside into fresh air and (gulp) sunlight. Sigh. It's going to be a long summer.

Ha! Just playing with you. Luckily we've got World Cup Cricket on the PC and now Anna Kournikova's Smash Court Tennis on the PlayStation to keep us going. By the time you've finished playing these two you'll be as white as a sheet and there'll be snow on the ground.

In fact Kournikova plays such a good game of tennis it will probably go down in history as the best prevention against skin cancer since sun block was invented. It's so addictive that this reporter is fighting the urge to drop his pen and hoof another lightning fast serve down the court. (One of these days those bastard computer players will miss the ball). Ooh! Let call. First serve.

Pacey, colourful, no-nonsense tennis, Kournikova will charm even those who don't even give a damn about Wimbledon, Hooray Hennman or that Canadian bloke. It's a victory for tennis because it manages to capture both the 'feel' of racket on ball and the drama and excitement of the game, incorporating a pleasing range of shots through controls that are easy to master. The ball even seems to obey the laws of Sir Isaac Newton.