Sony PSP 3000 Ratchet and Clank Entertainment Pack — $199.99
The third generation of Sony's handheld dynamo features minor improvements (built-in microphone, improved ultra-bright screen) on its predecessor, but if you own a PSP 2000, you can still wait to make the big upgrade. If you don't, however, this combination E10+/PG-rated package — which includes a silver PSP 3000, a Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters game, a National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets UMD movie, a 1GB memory card, and a voucher for the downloadable game Echochrome — is a long-overdue investment.
Ages 7 and up.
Get it at Amazon.
SweetPea3 MP3 Player for Kids — $59.99
You know what makes us completely and utterly nervous? Toddlers manhandling Ipods. Thankfully the SweetPea3 a rubberized MP3 player for kids is durable, rugged and so simple — with just three buttons — that even the youngest of kids can easily operate it. So hide your Ipod and let her listen to her very own top ten on her very own player. After all, do you really need to hear Wheels on the Bus one more time? We think not.
Ages 1 and up.
Get it at Sweet Pea Toy Co.
Sony PlayStation 2 Limited Edition LEGO Batman Bundle — $149.99
Sure, you can get a used PS2 for under $80 at Game Stop, and, yeah, it'd be great to see that expensive PS3 go backward-compatible with your aging PS2 games. With more than 130 new games being launched this year, though, a new PS2 will continue to be a safe investment for the budget-minded gamer. This special edition, which includes LEGO Batman: The Videogame and Warner Home Video's Justice League: The New Frontier on DVD, also packs serious kid and superhero-geek appeal.
Ages 7 and up.
Get it at Amazon.
Debutante Daisy Rock Guitar — $199
A product that caught our eye earlier this year is this axe for girls, the Debutante guitar by Daisy Rock. You know if you've got a budding Joan Jett on your list — and if you do — she'll be needing this very serious electric guitar with guitar pack to start her own garage band. Go ahead. Make her year.
Ages 6 an up.
Get it at Amazon.
Sony 160GB PlayStation 3 Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Pack — $499.99
Sony's next-generation console packs a ton of storage, which is good, because given the included free membership to PlayStation Network, you'll want plenty of space for downloading movies, games and TV shows. Besides the bigger hard drive, this special edition also includes the awesome, if somewhat kid-inappropriate, adventure game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, which maximizes the PS3's graphics power. Set it aside for yourself and pick up LittleBigPlanet for the kids, and when family movie night rolls around, gather everyone around the Blu-ray disc player.
Ages 7 and up.
Get it at Amazon.
Xbox 360 Holiday Bundle — $199-$399
From kids and casual players to hardcore gamers and multiplayer party-starters, Xbox 360 is aiming wide this season, offering three levels of its console at competitive prices. The family-friendly Xbox 360 arcade doesn't offer much in the way of storage, but it's a perfect starter system that includes six free games and access to hundreds more via Xbox LIVE. For $100 more you get a 60GB hard drive, and $200 more gets you the 120GB-packing Xbox 360 Elite. Packing extra kid appeal, both higher-end bundles also include LEGO Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda games.
Ages 7 and up.
Get them at Amazon.
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