Though based on the frightfully exacting PlayStation3 and Xbox360 version of the game, Top Spin 3 for Wii has been noticeably stripped down, dumbed-down and, frankly, washed out for play in Nintendo's fun-for-all system.

First off, the standard-definition graphics of the Wii doesn't do the game any favors. Even by Wii standards the game looks GameCube-ish; downright terrible by new-generation comparison, scores no points for rendering likenesses of real pros beyond "vaguely similar" and does a complete disservice to Maria Sharapova's legs.

Speaking of pro likenesses, there are only 16 of them in the Wii version, as opposed to 40 in the high def versions. It lacks the likes of a career and create-a-player personalizations. Just really, really basic but costing the same $50 as the PS3 and Xbox360 versions for no good reason other than blind market forces.

On the upside, marginal that it may be, Top Spin 3 for Wii is easier to pick up and play and comes complete with goofy multiplayer minigames that Wii owners have rightfully come to expect and enjoy (presumably, anyway). Not Wii Sports easy, not whack and guffaw goofball tennis-for-dummies, but with a similar Wii Remote control (Wii-mote) swing-like-a-racket sensibilities. It just expects you to position your player and time your swing with much more exactitude.

To position your player, however, you use the thumbstick on an attached Nunchuck, which means you're tethered to the Wii-mote, which means your swing is either hampered by the cord or you're smacking yourself in the chin with it. Good luck with that.

Worst of all, what Top Spin 3 for Wii doesn't strip down is the viciousness of computer controlled opponents. They'll play seemingly as hard and fast and ornery as their PS3 and Xbox360 counterparts despite the fact that you're basically armed with something akin to a Nerf racket at Wimbleton. Just brutal.