Wii Sports Resort

Wii; £40. Age 7+

Say hello to the updated version of Wii Sports, the game bundled with every Wii console and largely responsible for its huge success. The premise is that your character can visit various parts of the slick-looking resort of Wuhu island to play whatever takes his or her fancy. The activities have doubled in number, to 12, and include the diverse pursuits of Frisbee, jet-skiing and synchronised skydiving alongside conventional sports such as table tennis and cycling. The only two original events that remain are bowling and golf, both of which have been tweaked just slightly.

Sports Resort is compatible with Nintendo’s new Wii MotionPlus widget, which enhances controller accuracy. One comes supplied, but you’ll want more (£15 each) as up to four players can take part. The events are, on the whole, great — archery and canoeing especially — and there are few, if any, duds. Serious gamers will notice there are no tournaments or league tables, which takes away the competitive edge. This is offset by all the innovative gameplay and hidden content that is unlocked as you improve. A bigger issue is that there is just one event that four people can play simultaneously, and that’s canoeing. In truth, there simply aren’t enough head-to-heads, and even a sport such as swordplay that does cater for duelling is hampered by its oversimplified controls. Despite a few missed opportunities, though, this title is sheer sunshine. S O'R

Firemint Real Racing

iPhone, iPod Touch; £6. Age 4+

Unlike all the puzzles and simple shooters for Apple’s two touchscreen gadgets, Real Racing is an ambitiously realistic driving title. You can scorch around 12 racetracks in 36 hatchbacks, touring cars and muscle cars by tilting the device to steer, and prodding its screen to accelerate or brake. The handling takes getting used to, but the controls are responsive and the action feels gritty. It’s no Gran Turismo but even so, the game looks swish, offers plenty of variety and moves at a good pace. You can also post your lap times online. You do, however, have to win races to unlock all the cars and tracks, and this is the only problem. While it’s great to pit your skills against five aggressive computer-controlled rivals, it’s also fiendishly tricky — even to stay on the track. Serious value, but only the best need apply. SA

Trine

PC, PS3; £13-£20. Age 12+

Here is proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks. Trine, which is sold as a download from the PlayStation store (for the PS3) and from the Steam digital distribution system (for the PC), is a Mario-style 2-D platform game with a cool twist. You play as three characters — an acrobatic thief, a brave knight and an incompetent wizard — fused into one person. Each has a special ability: the thief is an archer, the knight is a fighter and the wizard can levitate objects. To succeed, you must switch between them and combine their talents to solve a variety of excellent puzzles. The torchlit dungeons and haunted dragons’ graveyards look great and are full of atmospheric detail. If any game can be said to be both a blast from the past and a breath of fresh air, this is it. SA