Virtua Tennis 2009 (Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

While there's great family fun to be had here, mastering the controls can be a frustrating experience; stance, and "racket" tilt and swing angle all influence the shot. Variation and inconsistency in these factors can easily flub your game. On the plus side, users can place the ball with great accuracy, and there's real skill and effort involved in playing well. Unfortunately, poor graphics and sometimes choppy visuals will prevent you from executing precision movement expected, and that's irritating. 

Still, the Virtua Tennis games have always had great variety of play, and this iteration is no exception. You'll find Exhibition and coaching modes, and a host of terrific training games in the World Tour mode; these include fun (and funny) diversions like "Meat Defender" in which you hit your ball at crocodiles to scare them away from hunks of beef. 

Online interaction: The game is playable online, although there is considerable lag so the experience is poor. No chat on the Wii version, but open chat is available through X360 version so kids could hear profanity.