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The nintendo Wii it seems, puts pay to the concerns in recent years over the inactivity in children due to their interest in video games consoles. The Wii console really sets itself apart from the rest with its revolutionary motion sensitive controller, which actually requires movement in order to play the games.

The nintendo Wii comes with the game Wii sports, which includes tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing. In tennis you will be swinging the remote as if it were a tennis racket and flicking it up to toss the ball into the air with a quick swing to serve. The other Wii sports games work in a similar way simulating controller movements for like movements onscreen. Boxing however is the only Wii sports game that uses the nunchuk attachment and is the most physically exhausting game of them all. In order to hit your opponent in the head or body, you will have to aim high or low with your swings.

There are three different activities with each game. In training mode, you will participate in random challenges, after which you will be assigned a fitness age, based on your performance. sound familiar? The nintendo DS game, Brain Training comes to mind...a physical version perhaps?

The important thing here is that gamers are becoming more physically active without even realising it - you could say it has a 'kill two birds with one stone' effect, combining video game play with physical activity. Given this 'physical' nature of the Wii, I wouldn't be suprised if parents rushed out to buy the nintendo Wii just to get their kids off the sofa!

Another great thing about the nintendo Wii is that it appeals not only to children and teens but to adults too, so its something the whole family can enjoy.

Could the nintendo Wii revolutionize the way we play video games in the future? It will be interesting to see what Nintendo's competitors come up with next - this could be a tough one to beat!

Karen Bennett

The best way to explore Singapore is to do what the locals do. Thats right, do things that are non-touristy. I have compiled a list of places and things to do in Singapore that are mostly free, other than a bottle of drink and transport fares. Hope you will find them useful and have fun!

1. Grab your 20 mega pixel camera and head down to Chinatown .... ok, ok, 2 million pixel is just as good. Take some pictures of the old shops and their almost 90 degrees staircases. If you like taking pictures of elderly people, there are many sitting around the wet market doing nothing.

2. Go to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve for mountain biking or walk around and smell the green. Bring a bottle of water and shades.

3. Take a ferry (cost only $2) to Pulau Ubin and explore the island. You can also rent a bike or worn out motocycle. Try taking a taxi if you can find one, they can climb rough terrains better than jeeps. Explore some of the Malay kampungs and prawn farms.

4. visit the Changi Prison. It's free entrance for both tourist and inmates. Drop by the museum and chapel for some WW2 history and photos.

5. visit the Siang Lim Si temple at Toa Payoh. watch people get blessed. For the non-believers, you can count the number of deities inside ... it should occupy you for one hour.

6. Go to the East Coast park for a swim and followed by satay-bee hoon at the hawker centre.

7. Take a train to Changi airport. Buy two cups of coffee, find a comfortable pillar in the departure hall viewing gallery, watch planes take off and ask yourself why you are not on the plane heading for a vacation.

8. Take a map and walk through MacRitchie Reservoir.

9. Go Sim Lim Square and check out the latest laptops and hardware.

10. Go jogging from Kallang River to Benjamin Sheares Bridge.

11. Take a train from the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. You can go over to Malaysia and back within a day.

12. Try water skiing at Pungol.

13. Make your own kite and fly them at the Marine South open field. after that, you can have a delicious steamboat dinner at the many steamboat restaurant nearby.

14. Go to the Flea Market at Sungei Road. Some people called it the Thieves Market because most of the things sold there are not bought by the merchants.

15. Go cycling at the Sembawang park. Quiet and nice even on the weekends. Cycle to the end and you can see some of the big ships refuelling.

16. Bring your own pit and barbeque along the Upper Pierce Reservoir. But if you feel oily, don't jump into the reservoir, you may end up in Point no. 4.

17. visit the Tekka Market at Serangoon Road for a variety of fruits and vegetables. There is a stall selling one of the best Bryani Chicken Rice I have ever tasted.

18. Go fishing at Pasir Ris park.

19. visit the Kinokuniya Bookstore.If your are dizzy after browing the library size bookstore, sit down for a cup of tea at the cafe inside the bookstore. If you feel like a bookworm that day, then head for the Borders bookstore for a second helping.

20. visit the Sungei Buloh Nature park. Bring binoculars and do bird watching. after that, you can buy some hydroponic vegetables home at the nearby farms.

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Ong Hui Woo