My wife and I bought a Wii (sorry for announcing that to the world honey). What a fun little toy! I have to admit when they first hit the market I thought they were a lame idea and it was just another nail in the Nintendo coffin. Boy was I wrong.

For those who don't know the Nintendo Wii is the newest generation of video game platforms by the Nintendo Corporation. What sets it apart from every other video game system is that the Wii is truly interactive. For example if you play Tennis on the Wii you don't press arrow keys around to control the racket, you hold the controller in the hand of your choice and wave it just like you would a real tennis racket. The system understands the movement of your arm and makes the little man on the screen move accordingly. Same with bowling, golf, ect. My wife and I also purchased Mario Kart, a racing game using the classic charicters from the Mario games. To move your car you snap your controller into a steering-wheel-like device and then "turn" the wheel just like you would a car.

Its addictive because its so different. All the games on the Wii require the player to get off his or her butt and MOVE. Is it a work out? No, not at all. It requires about as much movement above the waist as actually doing the activity would, but no running or anything to that effect. There is, however, the Wii Fit that DOES require a great deal of movement. I don't have one but from what I've heard there is a large cardio element in most of the "games". You're required to bend, twist, jump, run in place, do sit-ups, push-ups, and use an exercise ball all in a fun, game like setting. Other games can also interact with the Wii Fit devices. For example there is a game where you ride a snowboard and your movement standing on the excercise ball is what controlls your snowboard and it can be quite a work out!

Now the Wii comes with a price tag. You can find them brand new on Ebay for about $250 and that will come with enough games and equipment for two people to play. The system will accept up to 8 inputs at the same time so up to 8 people can all play from the same location. If that's not enough the Wii can also go online and you can play against anyone in the world.

Now, if you'll excuse me, my wife and I are going to play a round of golf.