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Just when you thought you had seen the last of Wimbledon and all the other major tennis tournaments, Gremlin Graphics - showing all the timing we've come to expect on the pro software circuit - try to take advantage with Wimbledon.

No 3D graphics or entertaining gameplay here. It will take a lot more than a bowl of strawberries and cream and John McEnroe's outbursts to get you to enjoy this one.

If I had the space I would write a serial about the criticisms of this game, but I will relieve you of the boredom, after all, why should everyone else have to suffer? I shall mention but a few.

After the game has loaded, you are given a prompt to press the Fire button to start! But to start the game, you have actually to press the Space bar. Good start. Now you can select the Number of Players, Game Difficulty, Number of Sets and Game Speed, when you have selected which four options you want, it's time to start playing tennis - or is it?

According to the instructions, if you are using the one player option, which I was, you have the opportunity to play the computer. It took me five or six sets to find out what was supposed to be going on. I reread the instructions, and according to them, I play against the computer. Once I had served to my opponent I waited like all good tennis players, for him to reply with a shot - but nothing happened. I'm left standing there with a blank expression on my face and a few choice McEnroe words oozing out of my mouth. So it was back to the drawing board and I worked out that after you have served, the computer then moves you to the opponent (which is you anyway). This rally keeps going until one of you misses the ball.

If this isn't tedious enough, the court is just as boring, consisting of black graphics and spectators in the terraces looking like faceless dummies. And the sound, well, that is pretty basic, no cheering from the crowd or entertaining music.

I just cannot understand how Gremlin Graphics have allowed such a shabby piece of software to be released, when they are capable of producing some excellent games. Releases like this cannot do their reputation any good. If you really do enjoy a game of tennis then my advice is take a look at Championship Tennis. I haven't played this one yet, but I can only imagine it must be better than Wimbledon.

I refuse to go on any more about this game, I got far better entertainment watching 'Open University' with the sound down. The only comfort I got was that I didn't buy it, at around £8 for five minutes entertainment, it must be the most expensive game Gremlin Graphics have ever released.

Game, set and match to Pickering.