Borrowing a bit of Nintendo methodology, Sony's Hot Shots Tennis for PlayStation2 brings the grunt 'n' whack-it racket sport to the masses with accessible controls and colorful, cartoon characters and environments.

Though there is some genuine, true-to-life physics emulated to near "sports simulation" levels of intricacy, most won't care as it's not really a tennis buff's game, it's clearly made for the mass market, not the niche. But that's fine, the game is at its best as goofball tennis with pick up and play appeal.

Besides, you'll never shake the cheeseball (or annoying) humor permeating the game, the garish (or annoying) caricature of the characters -- chortling, grunting and whooping Mario wannabes all -- the preposterously peppy (annoying) music, nor the fact that tennis balls shine like the star of Bethlehem at each hit, move with colorful tracers describing their path to a glowing red spot on the ground to which their heading (which serious players might find, you know, annoying).

Still, if you've heard tell of all the all-ages communal fun to be found on Wii but still hold fast to your Sony sensibilities, know at least that there's a pretty tidy take on the whole grunt, whack, whoop and chortle thing to be found in Hot Shots Tennis.

TIP: In Hot Shots Tennis, defeating characters like Big Chief, Momoka, Suzuki or JJ in Challenge mode will unlock them as playable characters in Singles mode.