So often we see a franchise get stripped down to its bare essentials and then rebuilt from the ground up. Developers resort to this when a series grows dull and hackneyed; sadly this time came just after two releases for Top Spin, the once Xbox-exclusive XSN equipped gem that could certainly do no wrong. So what is it we have now? What we have is a hard-as-nails tennis game that combines all of the vital elements of its predecessors and offers up a pretty solid experience; albeit a challenging one!

Top Spin 3 not only accommodates an all-new control scheme for the seasoned pros to challenge themselves with, but it offers up the conventional ABXY shot selection scheme as in any run-of-the-mill tennis romp. I, personally, will always stick to what I know; because it simply works best for me, but whoever endeavours to use the new scheme, I salute you – as the degree at which you're supposed to rotate the stick isn't thoroughly explained, making it incredibly cumbersome . The aforementioned new control scheme involves using an assortment of right analog stick rotations as your shot selector. Spin is applied through either clockwise or counter-clockwise rotations – all in all it is taxingly hard to perform, and as aforementioned, I decided to stick to the old-school method.

The game plays relatively similar to Top Spin from the original console, with only a few things having been tweaked. Risk shots, lobs and drop shots are all suddenly hard to pull off, as the game has taken a realistically designed approach where how hard you lean either forward, or backward, determines the power in which the ball is struck. It's tricky, but unlike the new control scheme, isn't a call for tearing your hair out in frustration. The Developer PAM also integrated a revolutionary fatigue system that has a large effect on gameplay, especially in drawn out matches (such as five-setters). The more you exert in a match, by sprinting or efforts for example, the more your player becomes weary and your shot accuracy can suffer. It's another touch that makes Top Spin 3 a much more realistic tennis game than any other before it.

Aside from the usual array of exhibition matches and tennis boot camps; you've got both a career mode which is a single-player ascent throughout the tennis hierarchy, and the World Tour mode which is in many ways the same thing, only you're pitted against other Xbox Live users in an all-online campaign. New seasons in World Tour begin two times in each month, so presuming this service is maintained, it's a worthwhile feature that is going to prolong the life of Top Spin as a solid online experience.

As in previous Top Spin titles, there are an abundance of venues on offer including our own home turf Rod Laver Arena, where the Australian Open is held at the beginning of each year. Also included is the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home to the US Open, and a roster of other licensed venues. During your travels you may also encounter any number of the licensed pros included in Top Spin 3's roster. The likes of now former world numero uno Roger Federer and immensely popular woman's pro Mario Sharapova are welcome returns to the series, though Rafael Nadal is sorely missed as his exclusivity deal annoyingly ties him to the Sony installation of the game. Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg and Monica Seles all appear in the game as legends, which is a great touch and no doubt a great indicator of the possibility of more legends to hit the series soon.

From the get-go you have the ability to sculpt and carve your own tennis Adonis. This time around the block PAM have really put a lot of work into this feature as there's a level of depth not often seen in this genre . For each triumph you're awarded a set amount of XP points and unlock points, depending on the difficulty of tournament you've selected; whether it easy or hard. Of course the XP points are used to boost up the stats for your created tennis pro in an array of categories from your speed, to endurance; as well as the skill relative such as service and, both, backhand and forehands. Unlock points enable you to obtain new threads from the mall, all from various sponsors. You can also get your mitts on new tools of the trade in form of racquets, etc. The mall is well enough integrated into the game, though there seems to be no reward for the purchase of new outfits (bar an eventual achievement). A tied-in statistical advantage, as seen in games like Tiger Woods, would be a great step for future games in the series; I mean, imagine a pair of socks that increase your speed across court, or a headband that increases shot accuracy – its genius!

On a glance, Top Spin has a level of polish unseen before in the series . Everything has been improved on, from player animation which is far more authentic than it's been; even Andy Roddick's infamous service action has made the cut, as well as many other pro's signature actions including Federer's effort backhand. A low-point, however, is that many of the player models look rather unlike their real-life counterparts at times. Once again I use Roddick as an example, as even though his animation is rather spot-on, his facial design is a far cry from the real-world A-Rod . Venues look inspired, and are familiar to those who are in the know of world tennis. One, or two, occasions of slowdown don't blight what is a lovely looking game.

Enthusiastic ‘ohs' and the occasional grunt are only part of tennis, and it's only natural they have their place in Top Spin. All players notorious for expressing their exertion are represented well, and you even have the option to select your preferred grunt noise for your created player; as well as when it's to be sounded, I personally chose for efforts and service (anything to give me an upper hand). Top Spin has recruited a lot of big names for the soundtrack this time around as Jamiriquai, Calvin Harris and, my preferred choice from the game; Boys Like Girls all lend their work. The soundtrack is sadly limited in quantity and you'll soon become very familiar with (and tired of) the songs on offer.