XBox Kinect – even mums can join in

I live in a gaming household, but that doesn’t mean I’m allowed to play very much. If at all. Ditto Ben, 7, who is rarely allowed on his older brother’s Xbox 360.

So the first big advantage of Xbox Kinect is that it’s so interactive that you actually want to play with other people, even *whispers* your mum.

The set-up is incredibly easy, and I’m not at all technical. You plug in the sensor, you have to follow a few directions on screen but that’s it. The only other thing is to make sure you have a good distance between you and the TV/sensor – they recommend 6 ft, I’d say we had about 4ft.

When you start playing, you quickly discover is that this is WAY more physical than other video games. You don’t have to hold anything to make it work so your hands are totally free – which is just as well, because you need them, and your legs and thighs. In fact it’s fair to say it gives you a pretty good workout all round, which is probably why they call it Full-Body Gaming. (No 1 Son found it completely hilarious when it was my turn to have a go).

We tried Kinect Adventures!, which lets you feel as though you’re in various exotic locations – roaring rapids, even outerspace. We didn’t stop laughing the whole time. We also love Kinectimals. In my opinion Kinect is the perfect solution for parents who would like to get more involved in their kids’ gaming and don’t mind their kids laughing as they jump around in front of the TV.