Winter is not the best time to fight a couch potato lifestyle but even if you are staying indoors, there are plenty of action games that encourage children to get active

Namco Games 5 in 1 Stick
Pacific £25.00
Not strictly action, but this game was so popular with our testers we had to include it. Namco is a plug and play gaming system, which comes with five classic arcade games pre-loaded. Plug the system into the A/V jacks on your TV, add batteries and you are ready to play. The five games - Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Rally-X and Bosconian - are all great fun and lend themselves to quick, pick-up and play games. The Namco controller is not indestructible but it does give you the feel of playing games in a real arcade. Amazon UK

Evolution Sports
Racers Carrera £80.00
Acquiring a car racing set is expensive but buying a complete set makes it slightly more affordable. Included in this set is over 6 metres of track with two crossover lanes and a few more bends than you would expect in a set of this size. There are two 1.32 scale Formula 1 cars - a red Ferrari Enzo and a white Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. The controllers are easy to use and Carrera's extra-wide track leaves plenty of room for skidding around the bends. www.mailorderexpress.co.uk

Terrain Twister
Tyco £70.00
Tyco remote control cars are not cheap but they are built to last. Every year the company launches a new car and this year's Terrain Twister is designed to run over any surface. In place of wheels it has 21st-century sleek pivoting pontoons with corkscrew treads that make it run fast over soft surfaces such as grass, as well as road. It is also waterproof, so can be used in the snow. We found the car was easy to control. It runs well indoors on carpet and survived being sent down flights of stairs many times. www.mailorderexpress.co.uk

i-Top
Upstarts £8.00
This updated spinning top has several electronic games built into it. It looks like any other top until you start spinning it. As it spins, bright red, pin-point electronic lights display the number of revolutions. Games include beating your opponent's score, trying to meet a target number of spins and using the top to play a yes or no answer game. The top is designed so it will fit into your pocket when you are not playing with it. Amazon UK

Silverstreak
Hasbro £19.99
Optimus Prime
Hasbro £39.99
The ever-popular Transformers range has some new additions for this year. Silverstreak is the first in the Alternators series that sees officially endorsed car replicas become robots in disguise. Optimus Prime (who transforms into his infamous truck) is the leader of the Autobots in their battle against the evil Decepticons and Unicron.
www.mailorderexpress.co.uk

Flashing Storm Scooter
Ozbozz £24.99
Updated from the original chrome scooter, this version has flashing red lights all along the deck. Along with the stylish new look comes extra safety features such as an advanced bolting system and secure locking mechanism. Our 6-year-old tester said it looked 'cool' and was less bumpy to ride than his older version.
www.index.co.uk

Millennium Falcon
Hasbro £59.99
Top of the new Hasbro Star Wars range is Han Solo's legendary 'hunk of junk' freighter the Millennium Falcon. This revamped Falcon has all the great features you'll remember from the first time round but with some new super-cool functions including electronic laser cannon sounds, authentic engine start-up and hyperspace sounds from the movie, and a fully-working laser torpedo. Great for inter-galactic battling.
www.hasbro.co.uk

Beyblades
Hasbro £7.99
The incredibly popular Beyblade series has two new spinning tops for this year - Engine Gear and Hard Metal. Designed to spin longer, they are much tougher than the 2003 models and are sure to be a playground hit this year.
www.mailorderexpress.co.uk

Marble Racer
Galt £14.95
We had no idea this would be so addictive - for kids and adults alike! It's a construction set and marble racing game for up to four players. You build the towers, slot together the track and then send your marbles spinning down. You don't even get bored with the set-up as you can create different ones. Great fun.
www.mailorderexpress.com