The gaming revolution has begun, with Nintendo leaving the life-like renditions and uncanny simulations to the competition and trying to focus on the most fun, approachable aspects of video-games instead. Nintendo never fails to deliver true masterpieces in each generation, but their sporadic nature hasn't allowed for the Big N's return to the top of the industry this past decade. With that in mind, the Wii puts a lot of faith in the simple "party" games that take full advantage of the Wiimote and its unique features. Wii Sports already showed us how to get non-gamers frantically flailing their arms in front of a television and Wii Play follows in a similar vain, with a selection of 9 "instructional" games. It is a case of quantity versus quality, but as the deal is sweetened with the inclusion of a free Wii Remote, Wii Play just might be a bargain buy.

Wii Play's mission is to transform players into masters of the Wiimote. The 9 games cover the extent of the controller's tricks, teaching how Pointing, Twisting and 3D Movement can affect your in-game actions. The games are progressively unlocked as more complex actions are required and, in the end, the mission is undoubtedly accomplished.

Nevertheless, a Wii Play session is a welcome introductory step to the Wii, as the games actually are pretty fun, at least the first few times around, and they also promote some competition when 2 players go head on. As such, whenever interested friends come around, Wii Play is inserted into the mix sooner rather than later. That will keep it from gathering dust for quite some time, even if I'll unlikely re-play it alone.

As mentioned earlier there are 9 games dealing aiming, moving, clicking and twisting the Wii Remote. Here they are, in order of appearance:

It might be worth noting that you are allowed to "dual wield" when playing solo.

--Table Tennis--
You play Ping Pong, simply moving the Wiimote to position the paddle and waiting for the ball. Twisting your wrist adds curve and/or flames and despite the omission of some table tennis rules, it works pretty well. In single player the opponent never misses and you are simply asked to return the ball 100 times.

--Laser Hockey--
An evolution of the immortal Pong, you get to move and twist the paddle in your own half of the court as you try to ricochet it past the opponent's goal. My least favourite of the bunch, maybe on account of the sloppy bouncing, but probably because I was hoping for laser-wielding hockey players.

The controls are a nice interpretation and feel quite accurate, if too easy. An option to turn off the helpful trail that unveils the course and point of impact of your shot would have been very welcome. Still, if you like billiards, this is a pretty surprising treat from Wii Play.

The whole last section can be summed up to "fun but repetitive". Wii Play doesn't have much in the way of depth; there isn't a serious solo lasting appeal in any of the games, save if you want to achieve gold metals for bragging rights.

Wii Play's 9 games do a great job showcasing the capabilities of the Wiimote and some are a pretty fun experience by themselves, even if most of their replay factor comes in the form of multiplayer. However, that experience is all too similar to the Wii Sports one that inescapably accompanies every Wii purchase and none of the games are must-haves, far from it. In that respect, Rayman Raving Rabbids is a much better buy for the mini-game oriented player. Thankfully, the fitting inclusion of a £30 Wii Remote changes everything, as £5 is a very fair price for the addition of the handful of pretty decent games Wii Play brings into the party mix. So if you are enjoying the light joy of Wii Sports and could always use the extra controller, you should definitely give Wii Play a look.