Full Review

8 December 2006 - So you've got the new console and the first thing you are going to want is play the game that comes in the box. But should you bother? We had a play to find out.

Wii Sports is - as you might have expected from the title - about playing sports and in particular simple versions of Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf and Boxing.

Tennis, for example, can be opted to be played by one to four players and you can have a single game, best of three or best of five. There aren't any exhibition, tournament or unlocking modes to master, just simple gameplay and even in-game there's no music to distract.

This being Nintendo, it's an interactive affair and you've got to swing the motion sensored controller to serve and return play. We've only tested it with one controller so far, however we think that if you had four players bustling for space you might find that the average lounge maybe a bit crowded.

Tennis is clearly the lead game, however our second favourite has to be boxing, for the sheer exercise experience. Playable either against the computer or another player, your task is, as in boxing, to beat the other player to a pulp. For this you'll need both controllers one for each hand and again the motion sensor element works really well.

This makes boxing games in the past rather sedate and boring.

Bowling, Baseball and Golf also make for good gameplay with Bowling probably being the weakest out of the five games.

Failing the games themselves there is also a mode called Wii Fitness which allows you to test your balance, speed and stamina and then gives you a Fitness age. You can only take the test once a day and the game records your progress so you can see over time how you are doing.

VERDICT
It's clear that Wii Sports is a starting point rather than a game that will give you hours and hours of fun and entertainment. The individual games although great fun don't amount to much on themselves, but hey, it's free with the console.

Our recommendation - still opt for one other title at launch to keep you going in the long-term.