Okay, I know it is a crass title but one that I could not resist. Yes, I am the proud owner of a Nintendo Wii. Last week we played with a friend's Wii (sorry) and had a lot of fun, so much, in fact, that we went out yesterday and purchased one for ourselves. The Wii really does take gaming to a whole new level. You become totally immersed in the game. The controls are simple and so user friendly that games can be enjoyed by the whole family. It is also makes you active, some of the sports games, for example, require a level of physical exertion. After five straight boxing matches on Wii Sports I had worked up quite a sweat and whilst it is not exactly the same as sparring in a real ring it is a most enjoyable recreation. Hopefully it will make couch potato gamers more active.

Another interesting difference is that high-level graphics are sacrificed for greater user controls. With the current trend in realistic graphics this makes a refreshing change and the popularity of the Wii reflects that people will favour controls over visual quality. It has been well over six months since the Wii has been released and they are still difficult to come by both online and in shops. Also, the relatively cheap price of the console, when compared to the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360, makes it even more attractive for those put off by the usual high prices.

The possibilities for the Wii are seemingly endless. Sports games are a completely new experience, the excellent Wii Sports serves as a demonstration of what the Wii is capable of. I cannot wait until EA Sports release Cricket, Fight Night, NHL or Tiger Woods 2008. But at the moment we are content training our brains on Big Brain Academy, ten-pin bowling on Wii Sports and riding cows on Wii Play. Surely gaming was never meant to be this fun?