Microfly isn't nearly as big or fancy as the UFO from Close Encounters but it's just as jaw-droppingly enthralling. In fact this impossibly tiny infra-red indoor flying machine is so forehead-slappingly impressive you might find yourself humming 'duh, ner, ner, nuh, ner' and sculpting flat-topped mountains out of mashed potatoes.

So what exactly is Microfly? Basically it's a tiny propeller-driven spinning thingy that is controlled via a single throttle handheld transmitter/charger. It only goes up and down but don't let that put you off because taking command of this bizarre object is just as rewarding as piloting a full size alien UFO. We imagine.



It takes a steady hand to control Microfly because the second you hit the throttle it soars skywards at breakneck speed. But once you get to grips with the controls you can zoom up and down and even hover above colleagues' desks. This could be a case for Mulder and Scully!

Because it's so small and light you can pop Microfly in your pocket and pretend you've captured an attack saucer belonging to a race of nano-aliens. Or a teensy plastic flying machine. It's up to you.

As far as simple but effective indoor flying doo-dahs go, Microfly makes many a complex pretender seem about as compelling as a poorly constructed paper plane. What's more, its UFO-ish styling lends a mysterious angle to proceedings, especially when you're annoying busy-doing-nothing workmates. We just touched down on the boss's head while whistling the music to the X-Files really loudly. He was so amused he gave us the week off. Or was it the next thirty years? Who cares, we've got Microfly to play with.