Games of old: International 3D Tennis
07/01/2021Anyone for tennis? Oh wait we're in lockdown. Ah well, a great excuse to stay in the house doing as little possible. If you're really missing chasing an egg round a field hitting a ball over a net then International 3D Tennis is just the game for you!
Released in 1990 by Palace Software for both the 48K and 128K Spectrum International 3D Tennis really is a little gem. Making extensive use of vector graphics this game really pushes the Speccy to its limits. Large (albeit triangular), smooth moving and graceful players walk on screen ready for some ball whacking fun.
There are 3 game modes: single match, tournament and season as well as four skill levels. Novice level is particularly interesting as the game moves you into position automatically and all you really have to do is get your timing right - still easier said than done though! Season mode is perhaps the most impressive giving you the opportunity to playing different tournaments around the world and making plenty of cash however it is the most difficult mode and only available in the 128K version. If you're not a Billy No-mates two player games can be had.
The game boasts 10 different views and 4 different surfaces to play on: carpet (what?), grass, clay and cement. The vector graphics are beautiful, however are a little slow to move. Sound is minimal, however the 128K version does get some lovely music.
Score
Graphics 9/10Sound 8/10
Addictiveness 9/10
Features 10/10
Overall 9/10
A fantastic ball-hitting game.
You can download International 3D Tennis from Spectrum Computing.