Nintendo has binned the standard gaming control pad and replaced it with a wireless remote control and a neat sensor that tracks its every movement. Switch on the flying game Wing Island, hold the oblong remote like a paper plane, and it suddenly makes sense. Tilt or swing the controller and the plane on-screen will swoop or turn.

Once your brain adjusts, its all gloriously intuitive. The Wii is at its best when it breaks down the barrier between what you see and what you do. This is ideal for family-friendly games: swinging a golf club or bowling a 10-pin ball when playing the supplied Wii Sports will come naturally, and is a real hoot. Whacking a virtual tennis ball with the lightweight controller isn’t quite like the real thing, but feels closer than prodding a joypad’s buttons.

The Wii remote picks up even subtle movements, but for more complex games you must connect it to the supplied “nunchuck” module. You then use a stick to move your hero, and the main remote to swing a sword or aim a gun. This can be thrilling, but sometimes you feel the features are used for their own sake. As you struggle to aim at a goblin, you almost wish you were back on the old joypad.

The other problem with the Wii is its standard-definition- only graphics. Nintendo’s tiny whisper-quiet console wasn’t built to compete with the HD visuals of the PS3 or Xbox 360. Even its best-looking games resemble products of the previous console generation. While it has online gaming, a decent internet browser and great personalisation features plus a vast library of classic games to download, this is no multimedia powerhouse. Does it matter? Maybe not. The Wii is unobtrusively tiny and modestly priced. If it has one real weakness it is that it risks becoming a novelty console: big on short-term fun and low on long-term gameplay. But having spent a day playing key launch titles the novelty hasn’t worn off.

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