Christmas toys - what's hot this year

In fact, the Christmas toys on offer this year have never been hotter and the choice for even the coolest kids is simply sizzling, says Gavin Bester, group toy buyer for Game Stores.

Aqua Pets have taken over from where Tamagotchi left off. The more attention you give these action water figures, the more responsive they become. Buy two and they'll even dance with each other!

Radio-controlled vehicles are where its at for boys this year with a huge selection to choose from including the amazing Regenerator which crumples when crashed - then pulls itself together again in a matter of seconds. Also hard to resist is the sleek and smooth Hovercraft which operates on land and water.

Dolls of all shapes and sizes are big news for girls. Barbie is targeting the pre-teen market with the new My Scene dolls. Particularly irresistible are the funky My Scene Masquerading Madness Dolls complete with DVD movie. But, giving Barbie a run for her money are the ultra-cool Bratz with a passion for fashion.

The bigger soft-bodied dolls are must-haves for all those young would-be moms - Baby Born and Baby Amore do just about everything a real infant does.

The Disney Princess dolls bring to life the glamorous animated movie heroines like Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine and Pocahontas. These are just some of the movie-linked toys on offer - watch out for the soon-to-be-released The Incredibles which brings to the big screen and the toy shelves a family of awkward super heroes, each with their own special powers, but all a bit out of practice. Not forgetting everybody's favourite Shrek 2 characters, the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Spiderman's Triple Action Web Blaster.

Christmas also wouldn't be Christmas without Lego and Meccano. Lego's Bionicles and the new Knights Kingdom adventure kits bring to life the age-old fight between good and evil, and Meccano offers buckets of creative construction fun as always.

Reaching new levels are everybody's favourites - Dragon Ball GT, the latest and greatest Action Man heroes and the brand new Transformers Energon - electrifying robots in disguise.

And, making a comeback are the ever-popular My Little Pony, Cabbage Patch Kids, the Care Bears and Winnie the Pooh and friends.

For toddlers there are cuddly toys, building blocks and games galore. And if you're wanting the biggest selling board game in the world - look no further than the evergreen Monopoly.

"It is a fact that more Monopoly money is printed world wide every year than real money," concludes Bester.