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June 18, 2002 -- "Croquet, anyone?"

It may not sound like springtime's coolest of come-ons. After all, isn't croquet a backyard relic, the territory of the white-shoe set or yard-destroying kids? It turns out, though, that the sport is making a quiet comeback: Membership in the U.S. Croquet Association increased 10% last year, while one big equipment maker, Oakley Woods of Canada, says sales of its sets have grown by 75% a year -- for the last four years running.

Plus, many players are pushing the sport as an alternative to tennis or golf. "It's the ultimate social calisthenic," says Bob Alman, of the just-opened National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., which bills itself as the world's largest facility for the sport.

So we decided to take another crack at croquet. We didn't necessarily need a professional set -- these models go for $700 or more -- but something serious and solid, a few notches above the backyard "toy" versions of our youth. Scouring catalogs and Internet sources, we came up with five sets, each in a carrying bag or wooden box and with enough mallets and balls for at least four players.

To judge the sets, we headed over to the National Croquet Center and knocked some balls around with the husband-wife team of Dick and Mary Knapp -- he's a retired investment consultant recently ranked 15th internationally, and she's an active player who teaches croquet at the center. We also picked up a few pointers from the center's Mr. Alman, who says mallets should be substantial enough to permit a good swing and balls solid enough to maintain momentum in the grass. Put it all together and -- this is the good part -- you're properly equipped to knock your opponent's ball clear across the lawn.

But it was a challenge getting the ball to move at all with the Franklin Professional set, $60 from World Wide Sports. This was a cartoonish affair, with flimsy rubber-tipped mallets -- the other mallets were wood -- and balls that came closer to children's bath toys. Mary volunteered that the set might make for a good children's indoor game. ("But you'd have trouble getting the wickets in the carpet," she added.)

Red Envelope's entry was a slight notch above in quality -- the mallets were the 36-inch regulation norm -- but it was still on the comical side. The wickets were extra wide, Dick noted, which made the game too easy. And the insubstantial wooden storage box had already started coming apart. Adding insult to injury: We found this same set being sold by another merchant for $80 -- half of Red Envelope's $160 price!

With Orvis' $180 Bar Harbor set, we felt as if we were closer to the real deal: The polished wood mallets immediately impressed our testers and the balls, though still on the small side, more closely resembled the 1-pound regulation variety. "For learning the game, it's fine," Dick said. We name it Best Value.

We had a harder time settling on a Best Overall. At about $300 each, the Kensington Trading Company's Richmond set and Oakley Woods' Sport Croquet set were high-quality affairs, with mallets with all the height, weight and heft to put the sport in proper perspective. And while the balls were a few ounces shy of regulation weight, they zipped across the lawn. Even the wickets were just right -- wide but not too wide. In the end, our testers gave the edge to Oakley, saying its fatter-handled mallets had a slightly better feel.

But regardless of which set you buy, our recommendation is simply to buy one. After spending a couple of afternoons on the croquet court, we're convinced this is the best option for backyard fun since the hammock. Let the game begin.

Email your comments to rjeditor@dowjones.com.