ALL IN THE GAME

It8217;s that time of the year again: festive shopping tops the agenda and gifts are top of the mind...

It8217;s that time of the year again: festive shopping tops the agenda and gifts are top of the mind, not just for you but your children as well. But what were once the best tech gifts for children8212;casio keyboard and hand-held video game8212;have been rapidly replaced by the Xbox, PSP and cell phones. Short of taking a housing loan to buy a tech gift for your kid, there are ideas abound for best buys. Here are four options that not only spur the technogeek in your child but also provide a good learning experience.

Budget: Rs 1,000 or less
The choices in this category range from boggle8212;a glowing ball that helps make words8212;to mechanical kits. But the Mechano I played with as a child has now graduated from perforated metal sheets, nuts and bolts, to kits that give you the option of making your mechanical toys motorised. Priced between Rs 699 and Rs 899, the kits come with a motor or two, depending on the model, nuts and bolts, plexi-sheets, and yes, the perforated sheets. What you build, or what your child builds trust me, keeping away from it will be difficult is really up to your imagination.

Budget: Rs 1,000-Rs 2,000
Media Games, one of the older Indian electronic game-making companies, has recently come out with cheaper versions of Nintendo Wii. Though these are nowhere near the high-end Wii, the company offers a plug-in console for TV, with remote controls shaped like table tennis rackets and pistols, that allow interactive play on TV and provide some exercise8212;meagre though it is8212;for the children. For those who want to keep their kids away from video games, go for the science kits from Frank Educational Toy, which allow the child to make a telescope, get his facts on solar power right, even open a chemistry lab in the backyard.

Budget: Rs 2,000-Rs 5,000
This is the best budget category as it gives you a large variety of toys to choose from: hand-held, portable games like Nintendo and the enviable aero-modelling or boat modelling kits, with engines, wireless controllers and the works. Getting these kits is not easy, but if your child is still keen8212;and provided you can get him/her to build things from scratch using balsa wood, cutters and sand paper or integrate an engine8212;look up the hobby clubs in your city or check with the hobby teacher at school.

Budget: Rs 5,000-Rs 10,000
Lego. It8217;s probably the strongest surviving memory from childhood. The company is still going strong and making drool-able toys. The lego block set has graduated to kits Rs 4,999-Rs 8,999 which will let the child build anything from a combine harvester or a mechanised tractor to a high-end Quad bike. The price is steep, but the learning and practical experience are immense.

Gagandeep S. Sapra is Chairman and CEO of System3 group of companies. gagandeepsystem3group.com