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Grand Slam Tennis & Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

Thrashing around with EA's MotionPlus games.

While Grand Slam may be EA's first flirtation with tennis, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is the latest instalment of a series that's been running for a decade, but only in very recent years has the franchise begun displaying the true potential provided by the Wii remote.

After last year's version saw a number of advancements both in terms of accessibility and club control, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 has borrowed many of the concepts from its predecessor and attempted to take them to the next level. After a couple of rounds with the latest code the portents are encouraging, with the added sensitivity of MotionPlus providing an unprecedented level of control. It's not quite (virtually) 1:1 as EA is claiming, but it's certainly as close as any game has yet come to providing realistic reactions from virtual sports equipment. By twisting the remote you can now draw or fade your shot, while the power with which you swing influences shot distances far more than last year.

Putting is another area that's been revamped. Whereas previously, sinking the ball from fifty yards often seemed easier than putting from directly in front of the flag, a new system now incorporates both forward and backswing momentum, which, coupled with MotionPlus, increases putting sensitivity and results in more challenging and satisfying putts. Last year's All-Play mode, which proved so successful at allowing novices to take on seasoned players, reprises its role here, with newcomers able to see exactly where their shots will land, while the game's more forgiving swing system should hopefully prevent beginners from hooking their shots into the rough on a regular basis.

Dynamic weather conditions will influence the flight and bounce of the ball.

Other innovations include the addition of dynamic weather effects, with rain and wind influencing the ball's flight and bounce, while courses are looking far more populated with spectators (numbers will depend on the importance of each tournament) who coo, whoop, groan and cheer in relation to the quality of your play. When facing pressure shots or when an accurate drive is headed directly for the hole, a pounding heartbeat effect swells from the speakers to add extra tension. With a host of other pro players other than Tiger set to feature, and a new Tournament mode that'll allow you and up to three friends to play simultaneously online (EA has promised us more information on both in April), Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 could just be the best Wii golf game to date.

Both Grand Slam Tennis and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 are certainly showing ample potential. With increased levels of control thanks to MotionPlus, hardcore sports fans could be about to sample simulated sporting experiences that actually utilise real life techniques, while features such as All-Play are likely to ensure that both games are as widely accessible as they are entertaining. So long as EA doesn't balls it up at the final hurdle, this summer we could be in for hours of sporting entertainment without having to suffer the indignity of digging up our archaic sporting equipment and embarrassing ourselves in public.

Grand Slam Tennis is due out for Wii in June, while Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 has yet to have a release date set. It usually comes out in August.