Mario Power Tennis does not want to be taken seriously.

It's as simple as that. You should not approach this game if you're absolutely desperate for a realistic portrayal of the sport. It's way too busy having too much fun for that. No, this is a tennis game with a blatant disregard for real-world physics and rules, and as a result, almost guarantees some of the most enjoyable games of tennis you've likely played in a while.

There are still some people out there though, who, for whatever reason, choose to believe that this should be a perfect representation of the sport. I disagree; I mean, I'm not sure what they were expecting with a title like that.

Mario Power Tennis gets the mechanics just right. It recognises those entertaining moments everyone enjoys in the sport and focuses its attention on them, shunning other aspects of the game that would normally slow it down. You see, this is about as arcade as you can possibly fathom a tennis game to be. Shots, for instance, will very rarely ever land outside of the legal playing area. It's incredibly difficult to land a shot "out", even if you're purposefully attempting to. Yet, ignoring this admittedly fundamental aspect of the sport actually improves its playability, allowing the players to focus more on scoring the points than having to worry about pushing the analogue stick a little too much in any given direction.

Every match will undoubtedly feature a number of adrenaline-fuelled rallies, each one just as exciting and nerve-racking as the last. It's these rallies that perhaps wouldn't have been as possible without the bending of the spoon, nor would they have been as much fun to participate in. Without the fear of smashing the ball way beyond the tramlines, the focus is on just hitting the ball, keeping you in the game at least for another trade-off. Finding a spot where the opposing player will not be able to reach is, of course, the ultimate goal - but at least that can be worked towards without the worry of losing the point thanks to bad analogue-stick positioning.

The game heats up even more with the introduction of power-shots. Each character has their own offensive and defensive special move, which they can use when their racket has powered-up and glows on-screen. The offensive shot can be launched when the character is within hitting distance of the ball, and will send it flying back over the net with a special attribute attached, whether it be at an extremely high velocity, with a wicked curve or flying high above the heads of opponents. A defensive shot, however, will see your character effectively freeze time to reclaim the ball, in their own unique way accompanied with a daft animation, regardless of its position on the court.

Of course, deciding when to use these power-shots is part of the strategy. Do you wait for your opponent to launch their power shot, hoping it arrives right in front of you to counter back with your own offensive offering? Or do you save it for the right moment, in case you ever need to use it for defensive duty? Of course, you could launch an offensive power shot to force them to waste their powered racket with a defensive shot, allowing you to capitalise and gain the advantage. There are so many occasions where you'll be shouting to your partner to save theirs, or use it at the perfect moment when you spot that opening - because each character has different abilities, it's worth considering the best moments to use them.

There are an impressive 14 characters to choose from initially, with a further four to unlock as you complete various challenges in tournament and gimmick modes. Each character is suited to a particular style of play, and these really show on the court; pick Bowser and you'll notice the extra strength of his returns, but he'll lack the speed and finesse of Peach or Koopa, meaning you'll have to anticipate where the ball will land to make up for his lack of pace. His power shot will also knock other characters flying, leaving the court empty for a potentially easy point if the shot is returned badly enough, where as the smaller guys make do with more accurate, placement shots.

The single-player game offers a limited amount of fun; there's enough here to please for a few hours, and is great to train on, but after a while, you're going to want to find some friends. This is where Mario Power Tennis comes alive, because for all its brightly-coloured visuals and charming presentation values, the multiplayer mode seriously renders playing on your lonesome redundant. You'll just not want to go back there again, but as fun as the game is, it's multiplied by ridiculous amounts when you introduce other human players. Each game mode can be played with up to four players, and while the gimmick courts are fun at first, the main enjoyment lies with the doubles mode; two against two on a normal court, best of three, or even five, sets.

It's ludicrously easy to pick up and play as well.

An example: last night, we plugged four controllers into the GameCube and fired up a doubles game. I, having had to play the game for review, was sitting sweet knowing I had a distinct advantage over my peers. How wrong I was. You see, my partner on the court had only been practising for the best part of an hour, and he was already hitting at the same proficiency as me. This is a game with an absurdly-smooth learning curve, where anyone who plays will instantly find their way, and those who put the time in will see their patience pay off.

And oh, the hollering. The hooting. There was so much of it. In the other room, my housemate was trying to watch the football, but was constantly interrupted by shouts of triumph and despair. Each shot was accompanied with some exaggerated gesture, usually a fist to the air or a pelvic thrust. Things, at their very least, got quite heated, and as the final moments approached, with the match point looming, each shot was as tense as anything I've ever played in my life.

And I'm talking about Mario Power Tennis for crying out loud.

For all out laughs, there's not likely to be another game released for a while that's going to match the party potential that this possesses. It's a great game to play on your own, but throw a few mates, a take-away menu and a few beverages into the mix and, along with Wario Ware Inc. Mega Party Games, you'll have one of the finest examples of multiplayer gaming the GameCube can currently offer. Ignore the finer points of the sport and embrace Mario Power Tennis for what it really is; an absolute blast.

Scot Bennett

+ Some wonderfully animated characters.
+ Many, many games modes to try and conquer.
+ One of the finest party games ever to be released on the GameCube.

- The single-player experience is somewhat limited.
- The button combinations make certain shots difficult to pull off in certain situations.
- *Sigh* Some people will complain that it's not a perfect representation of the sport.