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Smack, honk, fifteen-love. Smack, honk, thirty-love. Smack, honk, forty-love. Smack, bonk, game to Becker. Have you ever wanted to play tennis with your computer or football with your disc-drive?

I have to report that Match Point has none of the features of professional tennis as we know it: No swearing, no disputed calls, no Prima Donna tennis stars, no big money deals, no love scandals, no Robinsons Barley-water. All you get is a game, in which you can take the part of one of the competitors playing against a computer opponent or an indulgent brother. If you are too feeble to play even computer tennis there is a demonstration mode; where the computer shows you how realistic a simulation it can be.

The whole of the court is displayed from the traditional TV camera angle. The score board is shown at the back with stands for the crowds around it, On the left sits the umpire and to the right. are the ball boys. You get to serve first. Pushing the joystick (or keyboard if you don't have one!) to the left and up and then pressing the fire button; will serve the hall into the far left-hand side of the court. Wallop! your computer foe sends it back with a deft flick of his pixel-powered wrist, it passes you on the other side of the court as you vainly attempt to get to it, cursing the unknown person who has glued your feet to the grass. The joystick moves the player around the court, but do not expect to reach every ball; unless you anticipate your opponent's shot and move to a position where you can reach it.

Should a stray ball wang into the net, a ball boy will spring to life and retrieve it. This may happen after you have attempted a volley or tried to do a lob. Various shots can be produced by varying the timing ofyour fire-button triggered swipe. Match Point seems to be a realistic and well programmed simulation of the game tennis. If you are a regular computer games player you will enjoy Match Point for its quality. If you are the sort of person who only has one cassette: you will have to be a bit of tennis player to appreciate it.

Without practice, tennis is an almost unplayable game. This is a realistic simulation...