Top Spin 4 lobs up another instalment in the popular tennis franchise brought to us by the masters of sport 2K. Read on to find out if this game is an ace down the line or an unforced fault.

Top Spin 4 aims to put yourself in the game, serving you up as a rookie trying to break onto the world tour. Before you get there though you will face the first couple of balls in a tutorial mode. The intital requirement of getting your timing/power balance just right takes a keen eye on the ball. Don’t be mistaken this game is the Formula 1 of tennis games and aims to reward players that invests in getting their timing and shots just right. The tutorials whilst not enforced are definitely required to enjoy the game and actually beat some opponents. Unlike your typical look up and down, crouch under here and shoot this target (that the FPS genre relies on) the Top Spin tutorial is worth your time and rewards you with two chieves for the gamer score focused player.

Once you have that out of the way it is time to create your player. The level of tweaking is impressive and you can adjust everything from the pout of your face down to the game winning gesture. A nice addition is the ability to choose half decent clothes from the get go, yes I am looking at you TW PGA. With authentic headbands locked and loaded it is time to start getting on the court and smashing some forehands down the line.

The style of player you become is totally customisable and your career progression allows you to improve your stats to suit the style of play you prefer. I am a “Rafa” fan so I wanted my player hitting winners from the baseline. The good news is that you are offered plenty of coaches to employ along the way to help you finetune your strokes. You will never feel like you are dominating a game and if you don’t play smart and vary your shot selection your opponent will punish you.

Visually Top Spin is fantastic. The player movement looks and feels incredibly realistic whilst the individual player gestures are spot on. I wish Leyton was still playing good tennis so we could see the eye of the cobra but alas it is good stuff none the less. All of the different surfaces are represented well with clay being the standout. A sliding backhand on clay results in dust being emmitted and footprints are often visible.

The game modes are a little light on for my liking. Whilst the career progression offers hours of game play I would have liked the option to just join the World Tour with Federer for example and just enjoy battling top class opponents from the get go. The exhibition mode does offer this but there isn’t that same sense of achievement as you aren't working towards any goal.

The multiplayer has been quite unbalanced during the times I have played. Playing a level 20 opponent when you are level 1 is almost pointless and I actually shamefully got a 0 point chieve for not winning a single game in a set. Match making for Aussies seems like an after thought but it is still a great addition to have.

The soundtrack has some great numbers on there but the commentary is disappointing to say the least. Just one match referee saying “player 1” and “player 2” feels very dated in this day and age. Otherwise the sound of the ball and the crowd is executed well.

Top Spin 4 is a must have for tennis fanatics and is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition from Sega and Nintendo. The game is well balanced, delivers a healthy “campaign” length and rounds the package out with multiplayer to boot.