This game, unknown to most gamers, is a really enjoyable experience in your GameBoy.
You probably know of the mediocre PSX and N64 '99 versions, but this one plays different.
Graphically there's not much to talk about. It has some nice stadiums, somewhat basic player animations, what you would expect from a GB title.
It has voice commentaries and good sound effects. I was a bit impressed really.
As to gameplay, sometimes you might get really frustrated with the player's movements, but overall it isn't really bad.
The game has several modes, such as Tournament, Arcade mode where you have to face all CPU controlled players in sequence, Smash Tennis (normal match, singles or doubles) and Bomb Tennis. Bomb Tennis is somewhat interesting. It plays like a normal match, but as the ball hits the ground it plants a bomb, which will blow up shortly after. if your player gets caught in the explosion he'll become momentarily grounded, laying on the floor.
In the options menu you can adjust Difficulty (3 levels), Sets per Match (1, 3 or 5), Tournament (normal or quick), Tiebreak (on or off) and Special moves (on or off).
The game supports 2-player gaming trough link-cable or IR.
All-Star Tennis 2000 features 12 tennises (men and women), including Michael Chang, Randy Powell, Vanessa Child and Gustavo Kuerten.
It also features 8 different courts, each one in a different country. There are grass, dirt and termac courts.
During gameplay A button serves the ball and hits it normally, while B button plays the ball up in the air.
You can save your arcade progress in 4 different slots and continue it anytime you want, making this a good "pick up & play" game. My game's memory never failed in the last 8 years, so I guess the game doesn't have that memory wipe problem after the internal battery runs out.
As a final conclusion I recommend this game to whoever is looking for a decent game for their GameBoys. It can be a bit frustrating at times, but not as much as the classic Mario Tennis.
All-Star Tennis 2000. Not a Virtua Tennis, but a good game that never got much attention.
Note: All-Star Tennis 2000 presents sound problems when played on a GBA.