It sounds like tennis, it scores like tennis, but where's that fuzzy yellow ball?
Tiger Electronics, a division of Hasbro, recently introduced Laser Tennis, a scaled-down version of table tennis with a gimmick: Players with child-sized plastic rackets chase a red "ball" of light around the "court."
The $40 game can be played by a single player against a computer or by two players.
The package includes a folding 40-by-19-inch court (the color of a red clay court, if you really use your imagination), with a yellow starburst in the center, two rackets and the light-producing mechanism. Electronic tennis sounds accompany the players' lobs, serves and smashes, and a mechanical "announcer" keeps a running score.
Players hit the "ball" with a forward-pushing movement, rather than a full swing, to reflect the light to the opponent's side of the court. (Not exactly championship form.)
Information: 847-913-8100 or www.game.com/tigertoys/.
Beverly Beyette
Los Angeles Times
