What Gift?

Here’s a fun-filled trip back in time to the colorful arcades of the 1970s and ’80s. More than 600 photos present the dot-munching PAC MAN, bomb-dropping SPACE INVADERS, and other favorites. Nostalgic baby boomers have made arcade video games one of the hottest collectibles around.

This comprehensive reference presents photos of every popular video game manufactured, along with some long-forgotten machines and even some you’ve probably never heard of. You’ll also find information about the manufacturers who produced these classic games, a section about video game collectibles, and information on how to locate your favorite games and start your own collection. With many never-before-published photographs, beginning collectors and long-time game enthusiasts alike are sure to enjoy this nostalgic and informative look at the world of arcade video games.

Arcade Mania - The Turbo-charged World of Japan’s Game Centers

Covering classic games from Space Invaders to Street Fighter, games that are familiar to Americans in their home console versions (Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Dance, Dance Revolution), as well as the unique, quirky games found only in Japan, Arcade Mania is crammed full of interviews with game makers and star players, and packed with facts about the history, background and characteristics of each game, all lavishly illustrated with photographs and game graphics. This book is a must-have for gamers everywhere.

There’s a good reason why World of Warcraft is dubbed “World of Warcrack”. Yeah, it’s because it’s one of the most addictive games ever, ruining lives and families, killing days of free time and work time and leaving nothing behind but an exhausted gamer.

Do you know a WoW addict? Here are 5 gift ideas for them.

5 Gift Ideas for World of Warcraft Addicts

#5

Mana Energy Potion - Mana Energy Potion is the premium energy shot made by gamers for gamers. It’s for long nights of gaming, partying, and the longer mornings that follow. It has lots of vitamins, no sugar, and no aftercrash.

******

#4

World of Warcraft Master Guide - The official guide to World of Warcraft, with tons of information and helpful tips.

******

#3

SteelSeries Special-Edition World of Warcraft Mouse - The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse was designed specifically for World of Warcraft by Blizzard and SteelSeries. The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse provides remarkable benefits to all MMO gamers, regardless of level or play style. The mouse features incredible customization options to accommodate personal preferences. Seamless integration between software and hardware will provide an amazing in-game experience that provides superior performance, comfort and control. The World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse is fully scalable to meet and exceed the requirements of even the most discerning World of Warcraft gamer.

******

#2

World of Warcraft Alliance Crest Beanie - Before you venture to the unforgiving wastes of Icecrown, tuck your sensitive skull into a new Alliance Crest Beanie. It’s got enough frost resistance to make Sapphiron’s Frost Breath feel like a blown kiss, and the emblazoned banner of Azeroth’s fairer races will instill awe in those who are fortunate enough to behold you.

******

#1

SteelSeries Limited-Edition Zboard Keyset Wrath of the Lich King - This SteelSeries Zboard Limited Edition Keyset (WotLK) is customized for the World of Warcraft® expansion, Wrath of the Lich King®, but will also work together with any other World of Warcraft® PC game. After mounting the keyset to the SteelSeries Zboard base, the gaming experience will enhance drastically due to specific keys assigned for Raiding and Player vs. Player (PvP) gameplay. Strategical placement of color-coded labelled keys and one-touch macros for frequent commands like roll, duel and invite, will help provide immersion, mastery of the game and help increase the users actions per minute (APM).

******

It’s the season to be jolly, but also the season for buying many gifts. If you are looking for toys to buy as gifts for kids, and you need to buy them cheap, here are 5 ideas for you.

5 Toys for Kids Under 10$

#5

Transformers Movie 2 Deluxe Rampage - The stink of diesel fumes and hot tar follows RAMPAGE wherever he goes. His treads are packed with metal shards stripped from his victims, and the countless scratches covering his chassis are testament to hundreds of brutal battles. He lives to pound his enemies into submission, and thinks of little else. Only $7.99.

*********

#4

Quiddler - The SHORT Word Game. The challenge of Quiddler is to arrange your entire hand into words. Only $7.97.

*********

#3

Melissa & Doug Friendship Stamp Set - Stamp and sketch to your heart’s content with this cheerfully themed collection. When inspiration hits, this simple stamp and pencil set lets budding artists make countless colorful creations. Friendship-themed images include a butterfly, rainbow, teddy bear, various hearts and flowers, and a bouquet of balloons. Only $9.99.

*********

#2

LEGO Space Police Squidman’s Escape - Attention all Space Police units. The infamous Squidman has stolen a fortune in gold space-credits, and he’s on the run somewhere in the solar system. It’s up to you to track him down using the space police raptor, catch the crook, and toss him back into galactic jail. Only $9.13.

*********

#1

Mastermind - Test your code-cracking prowess with Mastermind, “the challenging game of logic and deduction.” The codemaker sets a code of four colored pegs–choosing from yellow, red, orange, blue, green, or white–and conceals it behind a flip-up shield. Your mission: replicate the code in 10 moves or fewer. With each of the codebreaker’s attempts, the codemaker uses red and white key pegs to offer cryptic clues about color and position. Only $9.99.

*********

Cheap Gifts

Gifts For Christmas

The holidays are upon us, and it’s time to start considering gifts for Christmas!

If you are looking for Christmas gifts for kids - toys, dolls, games, trucks, or even a Kindle - here is a great list of gift ideas for children of all ages.

Check it out: Christam Gift Ideas for Kids

Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set

The wait is over for the next generation of musical gaming equipment. Whether you are an aspiring amateur, or a practicing professional, Ion’s award-winning Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set for PlayStation 3 lets Rockband players finally jam out with ease, letting your inner rockstar come out screaming.

Game Critics Awards Winner

Rockband, which took the gaming world by storm in late 2007, was followed by the highly-anticipated sequel, Rockband 2 that was released in September of 2008. With Rockband 2 came Ion’s Drum Rocker Set, which quickly took the Game Critics Awards top spot in 2008’s Best Peripheral/Hardware category.

Professional-Grade Aluminum Rack and Pads

While other drum controllers force you to use their configuration with a pre-molded, plastic array, the Drum Rocker’s professional-grade aluminum rack lets you position your snare, tom and cymbal pads the way you want. Not only can you play your hi-hat with a right-hand crossover by placing your cymbals anywhere around your kit, but by mounting your pads to the drum rack with the included metal L-arm and clamp system, you can tilt, swivel, raise and lower the cymbals to whatever position you want.

Playgrounds America Unit 8

Make your own playground!

The Playgrounds America Unit 8 swing set is a complete kit that features a Rainbow canopy, lower-level picnic table, a rock wall with heavy-duty Rainbow colored rocks, two sling swings and a half bucket swing, trapeze/rings combo, monkey bars, telescope, ship’s wheel, wooded step ladder and scoop slide.

This amazing set is pre-engineered for ease of assembly with step-by-step installation DVD and large laminated to scale hardware chart. This swing set uses SFI (Sustainable Forestry Infinitive) Certified North American Lumber, massive beam construction, recessed hardware and safety coated chains to help provide a safe environment for your child.

Board games may seem a bit old-fashined in the internet age, but they have many merits, and can be a lot of fun on any given evening with the family.

Here are 7 fun board games for you to enjoy:

#7

Smart Ass - Have you ever played a game and been bursting to yell out the answer, even when it’s not your turn? Well here’s your chance! Each Who, What and Where am I? card has ten clues and the first player to yell out the correct answer moves one step closer to being the ultimate “Smart Ass.” More info on Smart Ass.

-o-o-o-

#6

The Game of Life - Practice makes perfect in the game of Life. Try marriage, kids, and more. Will you go to college and take out student loans? Or join the working force and collect on payday? Will you go bankrupt, or earn millions in stock and real estate? Anything’s possible with a spin of the Life wheel! A classic family game that can be a reality check - or just a fun time. More info on The Game of Life.

-o-o-o-

#5

Chutes and Ladders - Oldie but goldie! Be the first to move your child-shaped playing piece from square one to square 100 on the Chutes and Ladders game board. More info on Chutes and Ladders.

-o-o-o-

#4

Blokus - Fun for both kids and adults, Blokus is a strategy board game that challenges spatial thinking. Bright colors and simple rules make it ideal for ages five and up, but adults will certainly be engrossed by this unique and challenging game. More info on Blokus.

-o-o-o-

#3

Rummikub - It’s hard to find family games that are fun and challenging for both kids and adults, but Rummikub fills the bill on all counts. The rules are simple, the game is varied, and the fun is free for everyone! This version of Rummikub has 106 plastic tiles with numbers in different colors and four dark-blue plastic tile racks to hold the tiles during play. More info on Rummikub.

-o-o-o-

#2

Pictureka - Find it fast, find it first! Pictureka is the exciting game of visual hide and seek. Players compete to collect the most mission cards to win the game. Great for the whole family, and kids as young as six can play with older kids and parents. More info on Pictureka.

-o-o-o-

#1

Nintendo Monopoly - Now You’re Playing With Power! The most recognizable characters in the video game industry have teamed up to bring you the Nintendo Collector’s Edition of the world’s most popular board game, Monopoly. Join Mario, Luigi, Link, Zelda, and Kirby to defeat your opponents and own it all.

Now you can buy, sell and trade your favorite Nintendo characters for a whole new game-playing experience. From everyone’s favorite plumber to barrel-tossing Donkey Kong to bounty hunter Samus, they’re all up for grabs in this exciting, fun-filled adventure. Comes complete with 6 collectible pewter tokens of a Donkey Kong Barrel, Link’s Boots, Hylian Shield, NES Controller, Mario’s Hat, and Koopa Shell. More info on Nintendo Monopoly.