VIDEO GAME 'Top Spin' serves up virtual tennis match

Several of today's top players are missing from the selection.
By JON GALLO
WASHINGTON POST
When it comes to video games, tennis is the forgotten sport. There has never been a defining game for tennis like those in other sports, such as Electronic Arts' "Madden NFL 2004" and "FIFA Soccer 2004."
Microsoft's "Top Spin" for Xbox tries to establish the sport on the virtual court, yet the user is left wanting more. The venues are outstanding -- you can play on the green grass at Wimbledon, the red clay at the French Open or the hard court of a playground -- but the selection from among the 16 male and 16 female players is limited.
The absence of many of the top players -- Venus and Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick -- is comparable to playing an NBA video without a single all-star starter.
In "Top Spin," the biggest names you'll find are Pete Sampras, Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova -- which would be great if the game had come out four years ago.
Building a career
The game's best feature is its career mode. After creating a player down to his or her facial features and style of socks, you try to find a sponsor and work toward becoming the world's top-ranked player by winning tournaments and money.
"Top Spin," which has seamless game-play and stellar graphics, takes some time to master. There are six strokes, the hardest of which is a risk because tapping a button a split-second late is the difference between a winner and an unforced error. The game also enables users to compete against each other online and has a multiplayer mode for doubles play, making this the market's most complete tennis game.