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The second simulation of the noble art of Ping Pong,
or 'Table Tennis' as Ping Pong players like to call
it, thunders onto the software scene. The program looks
and plays similarly to Imagine's Ping Pong but
has more options.
Either
one player can tackle a computer-controlled player,
or two humans can bash it out together. The whole game
is played abiding to the laws of the real thing, and
the first person to 21 wins.
The
table is displayed in 3D, with the net either splitting
the screen horizontally or vertically down the middle
(depending on which way up you want it). Hitting the
ball is simple -- all you have to do is press fire when
it is in the bat's vicinity. Hitting the ball 'late'
or 'early' returns it at different angles.
Upon
loading the player is presented with a series of option
screens where the number of players, play perspective,
bat control (computer guided or manual) and the game
speed can all be changed. If you select auto-bat control,
then the computer does its best to track the ball and
make sure that your bat is behind it. Manual control
gives you complete control over the bat and allows you
to do whatever you want to do with it (within the limitations
of the program).
The
second menu allows you to distribute power points to
your various strengths. Initially the player is given
twelve points, with two points allocated for each of
the bat's six functions (forehand, backhand, smash,
etc), but these power points can be increased to twenty
and re-allocated. The final menu allows you to choose
whether a change of sides takes place after each players
has served. The colour of the bats and the number of
games needed to win the contest can also be altered.
Once
that's all settled, the game can get underway . . .
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