BOYS TOYS

Atari Classics 10-in-1 Playstation, Shmaystation! Atari Classics 10-in-1. Now in stock - be one of the first in the UK to own one! The trouble with most of today’s ultra-fancy, graphically gobsmacking videogames is that by the time you’ve read the instructions, waited for them to load and worked out which button does what, it’s just about time to go to bed! But things weren’t always so complicated... Back in the late 70s, home videogaming was still in its infancy, and, despite the fact that most games simply involved moving a few brightly coloured dots, squiggles and blocks around the screen, an entire generation of polyester-clad geeks became hopelessly hooked, thanks to the teeth-curlingly addictive gameplay and mesmerizing blip-blop sound effects. As JFK (might have) said, ‘We choose to play these games not because they are hard, but because they are easy.’ Undisputed leader of the home videogame market was Atari’s truly revolutionary 2600 console. In fact, the pixellated magic produced by this teak-effect box of jiggery-pokery helped Atari shift over 30 million units and the 2600 (or VCS) is now universally regarded as the godfather of home consoles. Even today, videogame aficionados fondly remember that primitive, thumb-numbing Atari joystick with blister-tinged affection. Which is just as well, because ingenious boffins have now managed to cram 10 classic Atari games into an officially licensed replica Atari joystick. That’s right Atari fans, this lightweight, compact, all-inclusive controller is pre-loaded with 10 official and fully licensed vintage Atari titles: Asteroids®, Adventure™, Missile Command®, Centipede®, Gravitar®, Yar’s Revenge®, Breakout®, Pong®, Circus Atari™ and Real Sports Volleyball™. (If you’re anything like us, the titles alone are enough to send shivers of nostalgia racing down your spine). Simply plug this self-contained design classic into any TV with an RGB input and Gorf’s your uncle – well, he isn’t but you get the point. We honestly can’t overemphasise the excitement that this sleek little stick of tricks has been generating – we fully expect it to be an all-time best seller. Because as well as being a fantastically portable gaming system, the 10-in-1 is one of the most evocative objects you could ever hope to get your hands on; why it’s just like being whisked back to an early 80s living room minus the shag-pile carpet, coffin-sized music centre and discarded Sodastream. The 10-in-1 really puts the "joy" in joystick, and we guarantee you’ll be unable to put it down, even when it’s not plugged in. In fact, position it next to your PS2/Xbox/Gamecube and see which one friends immediately go for. This truly is the most fantastic piece of plastic we’ve seen for years and, at less than the price of a single PS2 game, a snip to boot. Game and life over! The Games The Atari Classics 10-in-1 features 10 official and fully-licensed Atari games: Asteroids®, Adventure™, Missile Command®, Centipede®, Gravitar®, Yar’s Revenge®, Breakout®, Pong®, Circus Atari™ and Real Sports Volleyball™.

Vectron Blackhawk Hovering UFO Vectron Blackhawk. There have been remote control UFOs, but none come close to the Vectron Blackhawk. It's easy to fly because it's tethered with a line to the docking base. This provides the power to fly it but also prevents it straying and crashing. A Turbo Mode allows you to open up in open space, and an Autopilot feature makes the Vectron do all the work while you pretend to the crowd that you're a whizz with the whirlygig making their eyes stand on stalks. The clever thing that makes Vectron Blackhawk work better than any other toy of its kind is the rotation of the body - the whole thing spins round. There's no intricate balancing system involving motors and gyroscopes. The craft's control system is also unique. Pressing the handset's control lever forwards will always make the Blackhawk fly forward, back always back, right always right and pressing it left will always make it fly left. It takes a little practice to come to terms with this ingenious system, but once mastered, the control system is extremely fluid and sensitive. There are indoor flying things and outdoor flying things, but Vectron Blackhawk can be used in both environments, effectively giving you two toys in one. There is the added bonus of the LED display on the side of the craft, programmable with any 30-character message. Simple communication is possible via the medium of Blackhawk, with 'PUT THE KETTLE ON', 'TURN THAT BLOODY NOISE DOWN' and 'LOOK AT MY SPACESHIP' being among our favourites. You don't get bored of piloting the Vectron Blackhawk. Its vertical take-off is a particularly satisfying experience, and there's no question of first-timers not having their socks metaphorically blown off by the sheer coolness of this amazing UFO toy. There's nothing like it on Earth, or on other planets we should imagine.

Air Hog Firestormer The fuel-free plane that flies for 100m Air Hog Firestorme. It's not just the press that has been getting in a spin over this intriguing new toy. Productivity in the Firebox.com office has taken a dramatic nosedive recently as we keep sneaking off to the local park for important practice sessions. Here is a short list of Great Things about the Firestormer: It makes a noise that sounds like a fuel-driven, radio-controlled plane. It can fly distances of over 100m. That’s the length of a football pitch. It’s easy to power up – just connect it to the pump, then pump away. In essence, that’s all you really need to know about the Air Hog Firestormer. But you can never have too much fact, so here’s more: The Firestormer is the direct descendent of the wildly successful Air Hog Sky Shark, itself a plane that is pumped up with air and could also fly over great distances and to great heights. Where the Firestormer differs from its predecessor is in both the design and performance stakes. The main wing detaches on landing – wing damage was a concern with the Sky Shark, but not so here thanks to a rethink on the part of the manufacturers. And maybe it’s just us (and we’d know, having played with Air Hogs planes for a long time now) but the pumping process seems to be quicker. All it takes to fill the Firestormer’s tank is a few pumps using the supplied docking station. A less crucial improvement is the new look, but we like it anyway. Cutting up the flight paths of kite owners and terrifying young children is surprisingly satisfying. Just remember to avoid the tall trees. Expert pilots can even hone their planes to perform various stunts, tricks and loops by making various adjustments to the tail. In terms of continued wow factor, and instant, does-what-it-says-on-the-tin-but-only-more-so fulfilment, Firestormer has no equal. Owning one of these will mean that you have the coolest toy in the park, and as the ancient saying goes, he who hath the biggest rattle doth make the biggest noise.

Interactive Jedi Training Lightsaber Help you this can, yes! Interactive Jedi Training Lightsaber. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the weapon of choice amongst your common or garden Jedi Knight was the Lightsaber. Not as clumsy or as random as a blaster, it was an elegant weapon from a more civilised age. It made a seriously cool noise too. Sadly, aeons later, your average wannabe Jedi (i.e. every single man on the planet) has to make do with prancing around the living room brandishing a broomstick whilst making imbecilic whooshing noises. But not anymore, because thanks to the awesome Interactive Jedi Training Lightsaber your skills really will be complete. This beautifully crafted weapon is, without doubt, the best Star Wars plaything we’ve ever clapped eyes on, and we guarantee you’ll feel the force flowing through your veins the minute you ‘ignite’ it... The ultimate weapon for the 0.75% of the population who answered "Jedi" as their religion in the recent UK Census. Of course, it has been said that hokey weapons and ancient religions are no match for a good blaster at your side, but try telling that to Ben Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn or Darth Maul, all of whom really did feel the force, thanks to one of these lethal little babies. Entering your own personalised secret code activates the Lightsaber and also ensures that Imperial spies (or mates) can forget about having a go. In fact, if anyone does try snatching it, we suggest you take your Jedi weapon and strike them down with all your hatred.

Bop It Extreme No, you’re thinking of Bobbit Bop It Extreme. You know how, after a few pints of mild or whatever, most inebriates start to lose all sense of timing and rhythm? It’s a reason why karaoke is so big, because steadily losing the sense of timing and rhythm somehow makes a boozehound feel that their sense of timing and rhythm has actually improved. Well, Bop It Extreme preys on this paradox of alcoholic self-belief, and makes for a hugely entertaining and original drinking games. Its blatantly simple concept and the rhythm/timing thing make it perfect for a bunch of people of any size to play – a party is Bop It’s ideal environment. At each point of its half-a-steering-wheel shaped body are things; a blue knob for pulling (steady), a yellow one for twisting, a green one for flicking and a red wheel for spinning. At the centre of Bop It is a pad that you, surprisingly enough, have to bop. Bop it, twist it, pull it, spin it or flick it. That’s all you have to do. A catchy tune plays from a small speaker and when it asks you to bop, twist, spin, flick or pull, you need to do just that on the beat until it tells you to pass on the Bop It. If you botch up, you’re out (or it’s Game Over if you’re in solo mode). Of course, you don’t have to play when under the influence, but it’s a treat when you do. Bop It has a genuine one-more-go factor that goes well with the very similar one-more-pint syndrome. And the bigger the group of boppers to pass a Bop It Extreme around, the better.

E-Charger Flying Machine Handheld plane sensation E-Charger Flying Machine. US fun company Spinmaster, are, despite their name, masters of the flying toy. There maybe isn't the market for toys that spin, and Flymaster sounds like an insect repellent, so they've made a good choice. They've also made the E-Charger, a plane launched from the hand and powered by 10 seconds of charging from a neat charger, held in the other hand. As simply as that, you can be commanding (in a sense) a toy plane which flies further than virtually all other toy planes without a radio controlling them. This is, most definitely, an outside toy. And even then, that 'outside' has to be pretty much tree-free. Designed to fly anything up to 100 yards, if you were to attempt an E-Charger flight in a walled area, expect it to be your first and last. It's not that the plane is fragile - the foam body is designed with many grass landings in mind - it's just that it will fly a long way every time you charge it up and lob it into the breeze. E-Charger's only drawback is that the operator must wait at least two minutes between charges. But bearing in mind the distances this thing can manage, it's going to take at least that length of time to retreive the plane after its flight has ended. Less bulky than other flying machines of its kind but no less impressive, E-Charger is the toy that delivers emphatically on its simple promise of being a tremendously entertaining park plaything that flies.

Geomag The marvellous, magnetic, modular plaything 20 piece set (coloured). If you’ve ever fancied yourself as a bit of an Isambard Kingdom Brunel-type, but just couldn't face the prospect of being caught playing with Sticklebricks, Geomag is definitely for you. This ingenious modular construction system is made up of interconnecting magnetic bars that can be built into complex 3-dimensional models such as cubes, pyramids, and even dodecahedric spheres (and before you ask - no, we don’t know what they are either). The sleek and contemporary Classic Executive Set is available as a 44 or 130 piece set, and is finished in smart silver – a real bonus, as no CEO worth his salt wants to be caught toying with a multicoloured plaything when he should be using his bin for screwed-up job-application target practice. Geomag also acts as a great stress reliever/executive toy and looks just as cool, cerebral and sophisticated sitting on a post-millennial desk as those Newton’s Cradle ball swinging thingies did back in the last century. For those of you who couldn’t give a jot what other people think of your hobbies, we also stock the multicoloured 20-piece box sets of Geomag – great for first timers or those wishing to expand their existing system. (Take it from us - there’s nothing worse than running out of bits just as your Eiffel Tower’s nearing completion). Whatever version you choose, Geomag is guaranteed to keep you occupied during those brief lulls in the day (usually between nine and five) and is sure to reignite that childish but edifying compulsion to build, fiddle and play.

Popshotz Dart Gun I love the smell of foam rubber in the morning Popshotz Dart Gun. The comedy dart gun is a staple of British humour. Wee scamps firing a suckered projectile onto parkie's bald head - what could be more cheering than that. Well, extensive research under test conditions has proved that sticking one on someone's monitor from 25 feet away is guaranteed to give the marksman an equally pleasing glow of satisfaction. And cheese the victim off no end. Popshotz is the finest indoor handgun in existence. It's easily as powerful as some of the massive pump-action, battery-operated foam dart cannons. You get three darts, plus a torpedo that fits over the barrel. One squeeze of the butt (‘scuse me, vicar) and both dart and torpedo can travel very impressive distances. What's even more impressive is the fact that the suckers on the darts actually do their job without the need of spittle. Licking a grubby rubber hemisphere all covered in fluff is not an option any more. Modern technology means the darts always ping onto screens, windows and other smooth-ish things. This is foam-centric warfare for the 21st century, soldier. Are you up for it?

Surefire Slingshot Ballistic ball launcher Surefire Slingshot. Remember the familiar clank of stone against pristine car paintwork? Well, now you can relive those days without fear of a court summons for criminal damage thanks to this foam ball-firing slingshot. Four balls are supplied with the plastic projectile-slinger, but we advise not firing them at people's heads - those foam balls travel at a fair old lick... Set ships complete with Surefire Slingshot and four soft foam balls. Features patent-pending "foam transfer technology"... The foam ball is placed in between the suspension pegs of the slingshot, and then the foam hammer is pulled back. When released, the hammer springs forward and "transfers" its energy to the ball causing it to propel forward. Saftey Warnings Pull back the foam hammer attached to elastic at no more than medium strength. Make sure your other hand is on the handle and out of the way of the hammers path. Do not fire the Surefire Slingshot close to target. Make sure you have ample room for the ball to travel in a clear and open space. The Surefire Slingshot is designed only to be used with the foam balls that are included. Never attempt to use with foreign objects. Never aim your Surefire Slingshot at people or animals. Not even badgers. Alert everyone within range when firing your Surefire Slingshot. Keep out of reach of small children

X-zyLo Preposterously named throwing miracle X-zyLo. If someone handed you a X-zyLo and suggested that no other contraption of any kind that weighed the same could fly further, then you’d naturally presume they were talking cobblers. If that same person then suggested that a X-zyLo once travelled over 650 feet, quickly arriving at the conclusion that it’s time to sedate and tether the gibbering idiot is perfectly understandable. But both those statements are true. Despite the X-zyLo only weighing in at a piffling 25g, it flies very long, very straight and very true. It works through a meeting of gyroscopic and aerodynamic principles that even the makers can’t quite put their finger on, and it’s a marvel to behold. The throwing style is easy to master - anyone who has thrown a rugby ball or American football will pick it up in seconds. The main drawback of the X-zyLo is that it doesn’t stand up to the rough and tumble of, say, the Vortex but that is more than made up for by the ‘wow’ factor of standing miles away from your throwing partner and flinging the curly-edged ring in his general direction. And it doesn’t like strong winds – only wet laundry likes that, and we haven’t got round to stocking that yet.

Legendary Crossbow Apples not included 3 Extra Darts. Yes, you could say that all the Crossbow does is fire the little darts. Which is a bit like saying that all Joe Cole does is play football or that the sum total of Michael Schumacher’s efforts makes him ‘a driver’. Put bluntly, this item of indoor weaponry is lethally impressive, firing its ammunition out at a rate of knots far above any other replica toy of its kind. As such, it’s not one for close range, back-of-the-head shots. As such, it’s brilliant for using with the provided target (perfect for notice boards) and for firing across big rooms. Due to their high speed, the sucker darts also stick nicely to their targets – monitors, especially, seem to have a magnetic attraction for them. Robust and well made, the Crossbow can also be used to hone your reactions and sporting ability. If you have some Subbuteo balls, use those as the ammo and have a game of catch with them. It makes for a hell of a laugh as the ball shoots out at top speed, and if Mr Miyagi should ever ask you to catch a fly with his chopsticks, you'll be ready.

Scalextric Le Mans 24hr 'THERE... THEY... GO' Scalextric Le Mans 24hr. How relevant is good old-fashioned slot racing in this, the era of realistic videogame racing simulations? Is it just old-fashioned and not any good? The game of Scalextric has hardly changed since it first burned miniature rubber in 1957 yet its attraction is as strong as ever. Half the fun is setting up the track, and creating something thats as fiendish as Monte Carlo yet as fast as Spa. Even if accurate mapping of real-world circuits isn't on the agenda, there are enough track pieces in this Le Mans 24hr boxset to construct up something slightly more exciting than a bog-standard oval. Bombing around your course will be two Cadillac Northstars, each one with working headlights. Of course the cars fly off when you go around too fast, but that's the point. You've got to drive them like you would in (if only...) a real race - carefully round the bends, then at full throttle on the straights. However, the cars have something called Magnatraction keeping them on the track for longer than was once the case. Scalextric is a game of skill, it is as good as you remember it and you can have cracking races. One word of warning - don't set it up in an room full of twenty-something males and expect them to do anything but race for several hours. Set includes a power supply, two hand throttles, two Cadillac Northstars, a 2-lane road course of 9.3m running length track, standard curve borders, Chicane Pair, Crossover Pair, and Bridge Supports. This set also comes complete with an electronic lap counter.

Rapid Fire Foam Disc Shooter Wannabe Rambos rejoice! Ammo Pack. When Arnie lumbered into that ammo store and demanded an Uzi 9 millimetre, a phased plasma pulse-laser and a Remington 1100 Autoloader, he inexplicably forgot to purchase a Rapid Fire Foam Disc Shooter. Weird, because this fantastically fun weapon is capable of accurately picking off work colleagues from over 20ft away, and won’t get you into half as much trouble as the aforementioned shooters. What’s more, it emits "interesting" sound effects and comes complete with 2 clips with 40 discs, so its workmate/boss/pet irritation factor is truly immeasurable. Simply pull back the switch, let rip with the trigger and watch mayhem unfold. The rapid-fire function means shooting all over the office quickly and efficiently has never been easier, and 4xAA batteries are all you need to power up your trusty weapon. We’re talking serious state-of-the-art bang bang here. Conducting indoor battles is clean and safe with the Rapid Fire, as the harmless little discs are more likely to stun rather than sting, and are incapable of knocking over hefty/valuable items. That said, a few well-aimed discs should just about slop the contents of a precariously perched plastic cup all over your enemy’s work. What a weapon! The only thing you have to do now is ask yourself one question: D’ya feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? Requires 4 x AA batteries (not included). Contains small parts - not suitable for children under 3 years old. Spare Ammo comes in packs of 20 discs - colour may vary from that pictured. The Battle Pack contains 2 Guns and 5 packs of Spare Ammo - enough for any decent office shoot-outs.

Eye-Fo Programmable Frisbee Eye-Fo. The humble Frisbee has been catapulted into the limelight and given a whole new lease of life with this clever technology. The EYE-FO has a row of flashing LED lights that look like nothing in particular until it's spinning. And this is when the trouble starts. Not that we'd ever be so childish but it's a good bet that pranksters up and down the country will be using their EYE-FO as a weapon of profanity. On second thoughts we might indulge a little just to see what all the fuss is about. Can anyone spell #&@$? The inspiration for the EYE-FO apparently came from Chinese Traffic Cops who put their batons to good use by waving out the words 'stop' and 'go'. Fortunately for the Chinese motorists those police batons weren't programmable but the new EYE-FO is. Players can fiddle with the controls under their Frisbees to their heart's content and send all manner of messages.

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