We got a Nintendo Wii quite recently but have been having hours of fun on it already. Previously, if we played any games as a family, we'd use the PS2 (Playstation 2) but this has by far surpassed that console in how well it can bring us together. I think that's what makes this console so different from all the others on the market - how interactive it is.

We paid £130 for this from Tesco, and got it with just the console, one remote, one nunchuck and the original Wii Sports. There are bundle deals out there which might seem like better value for money, but none offered a reasonable price for Mario Kart - which is the game we were most interested in owning. It worked out cheaper for us to buy this console, together with Mario Kart individually for £160.

Beware that when you buy a Wii, you will have to spend extra money right away to get it up to standard for use by more than one player. Included in the box is only enough for one person to use the console. A second remote costs around £25, but we were told by friends to buy Wii Play for £28, which is a remote control with a compilation game, which we did. We then also needed to buy a second steering wheel for £7, as well as a couple of games which all cost between £10 and £30.

Getting the Wii set up was really easy. It took about fifteen minutes to get it out of its packaging, set up by the TV and tuned in to pick up the wireless remote signals.

We've had one or two problems with the wireless signals, which might prove irritating later on, but for now we're still quite enthralled with the new concept so it's not bothering us just yet! Every now and again, the cursor will disappear from the screen, and you have to wave the remote around to get the cursor back again. You also find you have to be in just the position from the sensor bar (not too close and not too far) to be properly tuned into it.

Connecting this to the internet has been relatively easy as well, and while we haven't downloaded any games from the web shop yet, it looks like it's easily done. The only confusing bit is that the games are charged in points and not pounds, and you have to pay your pounds to buy blocks of points. Bit of a palava really. But the Wii console at least tunes in easily to our wireless internet connection and the net is easy to navigate around on our 32" TV.

I think there are improvements that can be made to the Wii, such as the sensor quality and perhaps a bigger internal memory and choice of games to buy online. But we're happy with what we've got for now and are really enjoying the novelty of throwing ourselves around the living room instead of sitting slumped in front of the TV of an evening. The grandson is especially keen on Mario Kart, and the Mrs and I are rather keen on the little Wii Play arcade-style games.

Now that this has come down a bit in price, I think every family should have one.