SLIDESHOW
Me2, $35, ages 8+. A 3-D, 360-degree video game powered by you. Your onscreen avatar's strength and accessories depend on how much activity you log with a pedometer. Want to buy a virtual-world jet ski? That will cost you about 2,500 steps in the real world. By IToys. Available in August.
(Itoys)
HEXBUG, $10, ages 8+. Micro robotic creatures respond to sound and sense when obstacles are in front of them. Newer designs, crab and inchworm models, are due later this year. By Innovation First.
(Innovation First)
Struts, $15, ages 6+. Plastic ponies! With fashion accessories! What's not to like? By PlayMates.
(Playmates)
VEX RCR Mini, $100, ages 10+. Smaller version of the building sets used in high schools. In 30 to 45 minutes you can build a 300-piece robot in one of three designs. (A favorite version shoots ping-pong balls.) By Innovation First.
(Innovation First)
Scrabble Me, $20, ages 10+. Control your own board and take face-up letters from your opponents. Or use the wild tile and swap boards with another player. By Winning Moves.
(Winning Moves)
The Big Taboo, $37, ages 12+. Race against the timer to guess as many words as possible. A new element is charades, using the goofy Bendy Bob plush character. By Winning Moves. Available this spring.
(Winning Moves)
You Gotta Be Kidding!, $25, ages 7-12. A gross kids' card game of "would you rather. . ." with interesting but unappealing choices. Would you rather eat a bucket of apple stems or 20 banana peels? By Zobmondo.
(Zobmondo)
Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro car, $30, ages 8+. Races up walls and even on the ceiling. By Spin Master. Available in fall.
(Spin Master)
Ruin, about $30, ages 8+. A ruthless version of Sorry in which players can change the game board on every turn. By Buffalo Games.
(Buffalo Games)
Exago, $30, ages 9+. Place four of your tiles in a row to win in this latest family game from a Holland-based company that also makes Rolit and Tayu. By Goliath Games. Available in spring.
(Goliath Games)
Make Your Game, $22, ages 8+. Haven't found a game that exactly suits you? Create one. This kit has a blank playing board, cards, dice and other pieces, and tips on making up rules. You can even put the name of your game on the box. By Patrix Communications.
(Patrix Communications)
Chaos, $25, ages 10+. Strategy game in which players stack tiles on a board; when they reach four high, they redistribute in all directions, causing chaos. By MindWare.
(Mindware)
Girl Gourmet, $20, ages 7+. Tasty microwave cupcakes in seconds. By Jakks Pacific.
(Jakks Pacific)
Domo, $6-40, all ages. A brown furry box with arms, legs and a gaping red mouth. Already a hit in Japan and the subject of thousands of fan sites. By Play Along Toys.
(Play Along Toys)
Flibbix, $40-60, ages 7+. Build your own game board, adjust the rules and choose which cards to use. By Merillian. Available in spring.
(Merillian)
Slap Wacky!, $12, ages 7+. Frantic five-minute card game in which players rush to put together shape patterns and claim points. By Morning Star Games.
(The Washington Post)
Disney Scene It, $20 ($40 deluxe), ages 8+. Test yourself with trivia and clips from your favorite Disney Channel shows and movies. By Screenlife Games. Available in fall.
(The Washington Post)
Hang Bangers Big Hoops, $20, ages 7+. The football-kicking version was a big hit a few years ago. Now comes basketball. By Funrise. Available in fall.
(Funrise)
Tri-Cross, $23, ages 10+. A challenging strategy board game. By GFC Georgia. Available at www.gamesforcompetitors.com.
(Gamesforcompetitors.com)
Earthopoly, $25, ages 8+. An eco-friendly Monopoly-like game with pieces made from bamboo, lima beans, black walnut, crystals, shells and glass. By Late for the Sky.
(Late For The Sky)
ReFraze, $15-$20, ages 8+. Come up with the name of a movie, song or TV show from a rephrased title. (For example, a song refraze might be "Put in your brain in the contest." Answer: "Get'cha Head in the Game.") Specialized categories and junior editions. Available at www.refrazegame.com.
(The Washington Post)
Scoop, $15, ages 6+. A card-and-dice game in which you try to match the ice cream cone created by your roll. By Discovery Bay Games. Available in fall.
(Discovery Bay Games)
Dazzle It, about $20, ages 7+. Add charms to your clothes without puncturing the fabric or getting locked into one design. Part of a Girl Zone line of craft kits that try to replicate the look of fashion magazines. By IToys. Available in August.
(Itoys)
Bolaball, $50, ages 8+. Like horseshoes, only with stringed balls. Wrap the balls around the wooden dowels to score points. Attachments, sold separately, allow for indoor play. Available at www.bolaball.com.
(Bolaball.com)
Chalenj!, $25, ages 8+. In 30 seconds, players have to do one of 800 challenges in physical, mental, personal and mystery categories. By Moocow Ltd. Available in spring.
(Moocow Ltd.)
Bakugan, $5-$30, ages 6+. Backed by a Cartoon Network TV show and lots of marketing, this could be the next Pokemon, or as short-lived as Beyblades. Roll a plastic marble over a metal playing card and the marble pops open (Transformer-like) to reveal a Bakugan warrior. Then compare values with your opponent to see whether you won or lost. By Spin Master and Sega Toys.
(Spin Master)
Comic Book Creator 2, $50, ages 10+. Making your own comic book has never been easier -- you don't even have to draw. One version allows you to make your life story or scrapbook in comic book form. Others, with licensed tie-ins, let you create comics with Marvel superheroes or other characters. Print your finished product or post to social network sites. By Planetwide Media.
(Planetwide Media)
Brainbox, $20, ages 8+. Study a colorful picture card for 10 seconds, then see if you can answer a question about animals. Fast-paced and educational. By MindWare.
(Mindware)
EyeClops Night Vision Goggles. See in the total darkness! Part of a line of high-quality high-tech gear that includes an upgraded Bionic Eye and new Bionic Cam and Bug Vac (which safely captures insects for magnified examination). Jakks Pacific. $80.
(Jakks Pacific)
H2Go, about $130, ages 10+. A hydrogen-powered, radio-controlled car that zooms up to 6 miles per hour and will run 8 to 10 minutes. It takes just seconds to power up. The solar-powered charger also will work with other electronics. By Corgi. Available in fall.
(Helayne Seidman - For The Washington Post)
Bob, $80, adults One accessory you might not be happy to have in your house. Parents can program time limits (when and how much) for plugged-in electronic devices. Go outside the boundaries and Bob will turn off the screen. By Hopscotch Technology. Available at www.usebob.com.
(Hopscotch Technology)
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