A 47MB update greeted us as we loaded up Top Spin 3 for the first time. Add on the installation time and it was a fair while from inserting the disc before we were able to go near a virtual tennis court.

Still, when we did get there, we found the Top Spin franchise in fairly good shape. For those new to the series, this is the tennis game that veers more towards the serious than the arcade antics of Virtua Tennis. Thus there's no easy pick up and play here, as the controls need to be learned and practiced in order to hit those all-important winning shots.

The best way to play the game is through the career mode, where you create a player and start at the very bottom, playing in small tournaments as you gradually work your way up the ladder. As you take on tournaments there's cash and points to be earned, and the points can be applied to a series of attributes that you build up.

Get the latest Dell Coupons and other computer coupons at CheapStingyBargains.com.

Keep battling through and eventually you can take on the elite, but you'd better be ready for when they arrive. Even the lowest opponents provide a hearty match in the early stages, so your big names are clearly far, far trickier.

Bluntly, Top Spin 3 is one of the most taxing and exhausting sports simulators on the market. With an intricate control system (though it's easy to get to grips with, to be fair) that takes some mastering, it's a game that requires a real commitment from the player to get to its finest parts. That's not to say it's not worth the investment, but it is the kind of game where hours, rather than minutes, are needed to really break it down.

It's also a game that presents you with all sorts of decisions with regards to strategy, with it pretty much forcing you to specialise in some area of the game (it limits how high your total attributes can go), whilst also offering choices between heading for the tough games early, or staying back to build up your stats.

Yet if you are willing to put in the time, the rewards are here. For Top Spin 3 is a terrific simulation of the sport, which ratchets up levels of tension when the killer points arrive, which you'd more likely associate with the real thing. Sadly, it's not really fodder for the casual tennis fan looking for a quick bash. But for the dedicated sports game fan, this is one of the finest treats on the market.

The serious fan's tennis game and a terrific recreation of the sport. It's only for the committed, though.