Just a glance at these new shots from Virtua Tennis 3 is enough to confirm that the racquet-swinging threequel retains all the bonkers brilliance that we love about Sega's tennis sim, and then some.

Both minigames shown look to mirror the training tasks from Virtua Tennis World Tour on PSP - the 10 pin bowling service game will be familiar to pros of the handheld outing, while the giant tennis ball and fruit action already has us wondering about the crazy court-based escapades Virtua Tennis 3 has in store.

We're guessing you'll be dodging the boulder-like balls and attempting to grab the fruit (one screenshot shows the character earning 100 points for touching a tumbling apple). With Virtua Tennis 3 having a World Tour mode similar to PSP's, we also reckon that the dodge game will up your footwork skills, while the bowling one will improve your serve.

Set to be released on PS3, PC and Xbox 360 in spring next year, we'll be waiting to get a hands-on impression of this next-gen update to one of the best sports games around. Keep your eyes on GamesRadar for the preview in the new year.

December 6, 2006