I' ve been meaning to get this game since it came out, seeing as how I' m an avid tennis player and Top Spin has already been called " the best tennis game ever made." Now granted, that' s not saying too much considering the fact that there are...what, like four tennis games made in the past six years? But still, it' s worth mentioning. That, and it also maintains an overall 88% average review score at GameRankings, including a 9.3 from IGN and a 9.1 from the routinely-strict GameSpot.

Now I know some people are very happy with their $20 investment of the great football game, ESPN 2k5. But I' d like to add that Top Spin may be the best $27 game purchase I' ve ever made (games I had already played but held off owning until the price dropped don' t count).

First of all, the game puts you right in the action with the innovative and borderline revolutionary zoom camera angle that sits directly behind your player. When I first started, I thought I' d hate it, and immediately switched to the " Far" view. Unfortunately, I realized I couldn' t play worth beans when I was at the top of the screen, so I reluctantly switched back. After two points, I was enchanted.

It' s done so well that you actually feel as if you are IN the game. You' d think that, being so close to the player, that he/she would actually get in the way, but that is never the case. Instead of a generic top-down or three-quarter view, you get a third-person tennis game that is borderline astounding on many levels. Never before have I seen a tennis title accurately depict what a 140 m.p.h. serve looks like coming at you from only 25 feet away...it' s damn near impossible to get back, if placed correctly...just like real life.

The variety of shots are right at your fingertips, and they actually do what they' re SUPPOSED to do. Slice is low, slow, and deep, top-spin is high, far, and long, and flat/" safe" is mid-long, straight-and-narrow, and generally well within the lines. The angling of your shot is done simply by directing the left analog stick, and the gameplay correctly revolves around your shot selection and direction. I especially like the fact that the game emphasizes the importance of preparation, holding down the button (of the swing you wish to use) long before you actually strike the ball will bring your player into the appropriate ready position, resulting in " quick feet" . It' s something my coach was telling me from Day 1.

I do have a couple of issues:

1. The developers of the game went to all this trouble to understand the sport of tennis, and decided NOT to include normal scoring as a default? In what world (for Career mode) is a set decided by 3 games instead of 6? And why can' t I change it? Also, I don' t know what kind of scoring/ranking they go by, but I was ranked #1...and I' d never played a single Major Pro or Grand Slam tournament. Sure, I had won every Amateur tournament and almost all the Pro tournaments, but someone like that in real life, with zero major wins (or even major entries) is lucky to break the top 50...42-4 record or not.

2. A good day for a professional is 65-70% success rate on his/her first serve. Even with a 3-star rating (out of 5), you could routinely get 85-90%. Furthermore, it seems MUCH too easy for the computer to return serves in the 130-140 m.p.h. range, even without the " Return Serve" special skill. I don' t care WHO I' m playing, that kind of serve, correctly placed, is nigh on unreturnable.

Other than this, though, I' m loving the game. The Career mode is basically a tennis RPG. You create your own player, select your inherent abilities, and head on out into the world. You start off in amateur tournaments, and you can hire coaches to train you in the four disciplines (Serve, Forehand, Backhand, Volley), as well as find yourself a sponsor who will provide you with money, clothes, and other accessories (if you complete some charity/gala events for them, do commercial spots, etc.). It starts off easy as pie, but gets VERY tough when you hit the Major Pro and Grand Slam events.

Bottom line- this is, for the most part, the way tennis is PLAYED. Guys with a big serve? Tough to break ' em. Rely on holding your own serve and waiting on a second serve from them so you can out-play them on the groundtrokes. Guys who love to serve and volley? Angle those returns up the lines for clear-cut winners. True " grounder" wrecking you with hard and beautifully angled shots? Slow things down; slice into the corners, give yourself time to recover, try to get back on the offensive. When you control a point in tennis, you generally end up winning it. This IS tennis, I' m happy to say. There are a few quirks here and there (" no-man' s land" is in the center of the court; it' s too easy to get the ball back from there), but what game doesn' t have some imperfections?

Whether you' re a tennis fan or not, this game is a must-own.