Kodai Djinns

We thought the humble yo-yo was history until we saw a couple of Kodai Djinns in action. That's because Kodai Djinns are more than mere yo-yos. They're infra-red, head-to-head, battling thingies on stringies. Think Tamagotchi meets electronic game encased in an über-flash yo-yo with built-in LED lights and you're halfway there.

Basically each colourful yo-yo contains one of twelve random LCD warriors who are 'born' when you begin spinning. Built-in red, yellow or blue LEDs flash as you spin the yo-yo and 'train' your warrior. There's even a random super-warrior that you have a 1 in 150 chance of awakening when you power up. (He arrives with a cool blue LED and requires no training, so he can battle it out immediately - which is just as well because your arm would probably drop off if you had to develop this monstrous mutant yourself!).

The idea is to spin your yo-yo in order to generate power and build up strength for your warrior. Flashing LEDs and nifty sound effects let you know when your Kodai Djinn warrior is sufficiently charged. You can then play seven video games via the yo-yo's LCD screen using four built-in buttons to control the action. Games include a follow-the-leader-style yo-yoing game, a scissors/paper/stone-style challenge and a monster vs. warrior battle.

But here's the clever bit: victory in these games, combined with a good old spinning session on the yo-yo, helps strengthen your warrior for head-to-head showdowns with rival Kodai Djinns. Simply place the yo-yos together and let battle commence via the wireless ports. Clever, eh?

You might have forgotten just how entertaining spinning a yo-yo can be, but we can assure you it's totally addictive, and the whole electronic battle element adds a thrilling new dimension. Better still each Kodai Djinn warrior is steeped in Far Eastern fight game-style mythology (for example, the character Wolf uses holy water ice daggers and possesses the power of stealth). This makes head-to-head battles all the more engrossing as you can run around the playground...sorry, the office, pretending you're a levitating eagle or a sword-wielding dragon (or is that just us?). Whichever way you play, Kodai Djinns are seriously unputdownable. So get clicking on that Add to Cart button before the whole world goes Kodai Djinn crazy.

Kodai Warriors: