The Smash Court series from NAMCO has been around for years, starting life out on the NEC system, before making its name as a highly addictive title on the SNES in 1994. Since then we’ve seen numerous sequels, name changes and a brief flirt with Anna Kournikova on the PSOne, however NAMCO are back with Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2.

Players can take control of a fair selection of licensed players including Serena Williams, Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tim Henman, James Blake, Marat Safin, Richard Gasquet, Tommy Haas, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Daniela Hantuchova and Anna Kournikova (when she’s playing that is).

The game offers the typical selection of modes, encompassing Arcade, Exhibition, Pro Tour, Championship and a Tutorial mode to bring players up to scratch; whilst you can hook a multi-tap up to enjoy four-player doubles. The Pro Tour mode in particular stands out, allowing you to create your own character and put them through the sporting calendar, through a variety of tournaments and mini-game styled tutorials. Matches within this mode also focus on Turning Points, so you do not constantly have to play through the entire match with every game, but just the essential moments i.e. you’ve got to break serve to win the game; in addition the matches give you a variety of challenges, such as not hitting the ball more then 40 times, completing these earn you extra Experience Points to improve your players stats.

On to the actual court and SCTPT2 offers an enjoyable and thorough game of tennis. There’s a wide selection of shots available through different combinations of the four face buttons and thumbstick, although we have to say that winding up shots just isn’t as intuitive as SEGA’s Virtua Tennis series and you’ll likely find yourself missing out on shots occasionally.

The overall result is an enjoyable game that Tennis fans will enjoy; it packs a good amount of depth through the wide selection of shots available and the Pro Tour mode is extremely enjoyable and well thought out, however it lacks that instant appeal and addictive qualities of SEGA’s landmark series.