Since Pong, tennis has been a popular choice for videogame conversions.  Camelot continues the tradition with Mario Tennis.  Mario and friends had much success with last year with Camelot's Mario Golf.  Can Camelot's success in golf translate to tennis?  Last year's golf game was a huge success, both critically and at the cash register.   It combined the best of a realistic golf game with the fun that comes with the Mario license. Mario Tennis does the same for the game of tennis.  It takes a relatively inaccessible sport and makes it easy and fun.

The clean graphical style of Mario Tennis suits the game's setting perfectly.  Mario Tennis' art looks exactly as you would imagine a real tennis game in the Mushroom Kingdom would look like.  It has all of the charm of the Mario Universe along with the trappings of the U.S. Open. The animation and movement of the characters is perfect and, in many instances,  comical. There are some neat little graphical nuances: The grass and clay playing surfaces wear where the play is heavy, and the replays are pretty cool. The graphics aren't flashy, but they are perfect for tennis. 

Like Mario Golf, Mario Tennis also boasts excellent sound and music. The pop of the tennis ball as it leaves a racket, the bounce of the ball on clay or grass is just like the real thing. The grunts and cheers of the characters are right on for Mario games as well.  The music is of the bubbly variety you'd expect from a Mario game, only less obtrusive.  It's light accompaniment to the action.  Much like the graphics, the sound won't blow you away, but it certainly suits and enhances the mood and feel of the game.

As with all games Mario, the strongest suit is the gameplay.  The controls are simple enough: A and B swing your racket and the control stick moves your character. That's it. The only other button used in play is the Z button. A is for topspin, B for slice.  Once you have learned the basic controls, you can use variations of the A and B buttons to make more complicated shots with the ball.  Lobs, drop shots, and smashes are all accomplished through combinations of the A and B buttons. He simplicity of the control allows even a non-gamer to pick up and play in minutes while the advanced player can perfect technique and advanced play.

Mario Tennis offers several different play modes, most of which can be played with 4 players: Standard Tennis - a realistic tennis match in which you pick the number of games and sets; Bowser Stage - a wacky tennis that allows you to use weapons similar to Mario Kart; Ring Tennis - the goal here is to hit the ball through respawning rings and to trick your opponent into doing the same. There are several tournaments and even a mode where you try to return balls blasted by Piranha plants. 

Mario Tennis takes full advantage of the 4 controller ports on the Nintendo 64. Any variation of 4 players can play at Ring tennis, Bowser Stage, and Standard Tennis. The multiplayer game is truly one of the Nintendo 64's best.  The action is frantic and the resulting fun compares with the top games for the system.  It also offers a nearly limitless supply of replay value.

Your choices of character and teammate have a large bearing on what type of style you'll play. All of the characters have unique abilities and skills.  The heavyweights are slower, but can serve and hit harder.  Mario and Luigi are balanced players who have no real strengths, but no real weaknesses.  Baby Mario and Yoshi are speedsters who can cover the court with their sheer athletic ability.  Peach and Daisy offer a high amount of skill and technique; a higher level of control over shot placement.  Paratroopa and Boo offer a tricky shot selection of strange angles and knuckle balls. The choice of a teammate who compliments your style could make or break your team.  

Mario games have always been full of fun and lots of gameplay.  There was some trepidation when Nintendo allowed Camelot to make a golf game last year, but it was excellent.  Camelot is two for two with the release of Mario Tennis.  Lots of challenge, various modes of play, and an incredible 4 player game.  It's one of the better games to come out this year and is a must buy party game.