Introduction: As a bit of a table tennis fan in the real (as opposed to the virtual) world, I'd been looking forward to Rockstar's offering of Table Tennis for the Wii. The franchise has already been established with some aplomb on the 360, but I was keen to see how the action on the Wii compared.

GamePlay:There's nothing particularly radical about the gameplay. Choose one of 4 starting arenas (of which you can unlock a further 15)- none of which make much difference to the game. Chose your own players (out of a possible 11), choose one of 3 tournaments or an exhibition game, and you're away. I was disappointed not to find an online option as that could really have given the game some extra lifeblood that it otherwise lacks.

Control: My hopes for the controls were high as table-tennis is one of those games that seems to translate most naturally to the Wii setup. You have 3 control options-(i) controller only in which you use the controller pretty much as you would an actual paddle with the crosshairs providing spin, (ii)'control freak' using the nunchuck analogue stick for player movement and (iii) 'sharp shooter' which uses the nunchuck for superior ball control. The ease of playing setup (i) in which you are 99% likely to hit the ball and get it to bounce on the other side makes the other two options a lot less attractive, particularly control freak. However, regardless of the control setup, the biggest issue I had with the game was the lack of connection between your swing of the controller and the on-screen shot. Whereas tennis on Wii sports demands the correct timing of your shot, the opposite is true with this game by which a massively early powered up swing hits the ball just as cleanly as a perfectly timed volley. That means that the instinctive nature of a table tennis rally is really lost. Add to that the fact that when playing a friend there is no split screen option so your perspective alternates between top and bottom of the screen every 2 points. Not only is this disconcerting, but it highlights the fact that an indiscriminate swing with backhand or forehand executes the same shot, regardless of which should be right.

Graphics: Good competent graphics but they don't compare favourably to the 360 version which prided itself on a grimy realism with enough detail to see the grit on the ball. I can't help but wonder whether a more cartoony 'Wii-sports' look might have suited the console better as well as allowing more resources to be directed to fine-tuning the controls.

Sound & Music: The sound effects are all pretty good although the in-game music that fires up once a rally gets going left a little to be desired for my taste. The crowd sounds are also fine but the sound of your striking the ball registers with your physical swing, not when the player on screen hits it, which only exacerbates the lack of timing perfection in the game setup.

Final Comments: A good instinctive game in a Wii-sports sort of way but without the legs to merit the price tag. Great to rent but you would have to be a hard-core table tennis fan to splash out on this.

Pro: Pick up and play with no problems, much in the fashion of wii-sports.
Con: No online and the concept can tire after a while without the real-time sync between gamer and character.
Final Score: 5.5

Reviewed by: Douglas Andrews