Despite a few niggling issues Mario Tennis Aces is a great return to the best parts of the franchise. Gameplay is smooth, strategic and fun. And with story, tournament and multiplayer modes all available it is sure to bring a lot of fun to longtime fans and new players alike.

Great story-mode mechanics; including basic RPG elements; Smooth; fun gameplay; Great multiplayer options; Much more content than previous franchise entries

Plot a little forced; Adventure mode must be completed for all courts to be unlocked; Levelled-up character not carried through to other modes; Only Mario playable in Adventure mode

Mario Tennis Aces is your typically fun Nintendo title set within the Super Mario universe, it's also a game that caters quite well for those that want to pick up the game for a chilling time, while having enough skill based gameplay aspects to satisfying those that want something a little more...

Easy to pick up and play; Caters from a variety of skill-levels; Looks gorgeous; Charming and fun; playing on your own or with friends

Encountered a fair bit on online lag; No offline multiplayer tournament mode

Mario Tennis vs World Tour Tennis Game, Set, Match Mario Or any character if you prefer not to play with Mario. It's about time peach got her own game, she's a solid player.

A bizarre coming together of Smash Bros. and Mario Tennis that strangely works, even if the Adventure mode occasionally frustrates.

Fantastic battling additions to tennis gameplay; Looks amazing; Courts are regularly inventive

Adventure mode can be incredibly frustrating

Nintendo and Camelot released Mario Tennis Ultra Smash for Wii U in 2015, and it was a shallow impersonation of the other games in the franchise. It did not have a campaign or interesting modes, and the one thing that set it apart, the Mega Mushroom power-up, was lame.

Given we live in a world where people want to have an opinion hurled at them as quickly as possible, know this about Mario Tennis Aces: If you're planning to play it with friends you should go and purchase it now.

A ridiculously good core mechanic that never gets old; One of the finest multiplayer experiences on Switch; Accessible and deep simultaneously; Could offer something for quite some time

Single-player may leave some wanting; RPG system is light at best

The Mario Tennis franchise may not be one that generates as much anticipation as the others revolving around the moustachioed plumber. But past entries have been solid enough, offering arcade-style tennis action featuring Nintendo's familiar cast of characters.

Camelot Software Planning has been a stalwart developer for Nintendo over the years. Mario Tennis is perhaps their best-known Mario game (alongside Mario Golf) as they've been at the helm of the long-running sports-RPG hybrid(s) since 1999.

Game is such great fun to play with either my 6 year old or 13 year old (and my 37 year old mate's played me at it too!) Yep another successful Mario Spin off game and my eldest was over the moon to get it for Christmas.

Aces' new special moves turn the casual back-and-forth into a frantic high-speed chess match, while the story mode offers an ample number of charmingly wacky challenges that help to hone your skills in the process and get you match fit for online competitions. But here’s the problem: you’re only given the option of one-off matches against friends and strangers for online. At launch there are no tournaments, no leaderboards and not even any sort of ranking system, so it’s going to be difficult to find someone on you skill level. Sure, there will be timed events that will see online tournaments become available for select days, but that’s still very inconvenient for the average player. But if you’re happy to just play through the short adventure and reserve competitive matches for your friends, then Aces is undoubtedly one of the best multiplayers on the Switch right now.

The new tennis features give matches frantic fun ; The Adventure Mode is a terrific teacher; Creative boss battles are bursting with originality;

Shallow online features; A couple of of level designs are infuriating in Adventure Mode;