The plug-and-play TV game Big Buck Hunter Pro ($59.99 list) from Jakks Pacific is rated Teen by the ESRB, but I thought my six-year-old son would enjoy it, since he loves a similar game called Chicken Shoot that he plays on his Nintendo Wii. The game doesn't come close to being as fun as Chicken Shoot, but that had nothing to do with his age.

Big Buck Hunter is a port of the arcade/bar gaming machine of the same name. This home version includes a rifle and shot sensor that you place above your TV. It requires four double-A and three triple-A batteries, which are not included.

Getting this finicky game to work correctly is a chore. We tried it on two different TVs and had problems with both. With our 42-inch plasma, we had a difficult time getting the shot sensor to stay on top of the thin TV. It kept falling off until we finally got some two sided tape.

I've been a remote-control-airplane enthusiast for years. I've never really been able to get my six-year-old son into it, though: Planes are difficult to control, and he's a bit afraid of breaking the machines I've spent hours putting together.

When the chance for him to try the new Spin Master Air Hogs Switchblade ($69.99 list) came along, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get him into the hobby. The Switchblade is part helicopter, part plane. It takes off by rotating like a helicopter, but once it's up high enough, you hit the Morph button to cause the wings to align--and it then flies like a plane.

Once you remove the Switchblade from its box (which includes, naturally, those annoying wire-ties), resist the urge to throw away the packaging. One part of the Switchblade looks like packaging material, but you'll need it to assemble the launch base; I had to retrieve it from the trash.

The Smith & Tinker Nanovor Nanoscope ($49.99 list, for kids 7 to 12) is an electronic handheld device that turns the Nanovor online game into a portable experience. In the Nanovor game, kids collect Nanovor characters and have them battle against other players' Nanovors. The Nanoscope device, about the size of a large MP3 player, lets kids play against their friends (as long as they also have Nanoscopes) without a computer: You simply touch the Nanoscopes together, and you're on your way to a battle.

Once my six-year-old son and I got the Nanoscopes working, he really enjoyed Nanovor; in fact, I had to ask him to stop playing several times. However, getting the toys up and running was not easy.

First, let me warn you: The packaging says it works with Windows XP. It doesn't. When updating it, the software wiped out the Nanoscope firmware. We were able to recover the Nanoscope by connecting it to a Vista machine. This seems to be a known issue, as we found mention of it on the company's Web site.

Looking for a toy for your child that's similar to the Wii but doesn't cost as much? How about an "edutainment" game that's fun to play as well as educational? Fisher-Price has just what you're looking for with the TV-compatible 3-in-1 Smart Sports ($60 list, ages 3 to 7). Your kids will be up on their feet.

The 3-in-1 Smart Sports includes a storage dock, base unit and grip controller with baseball bat, golf club and tennis racket attachments. All the attachments are kid-friendly and made out of soft foam. The base unit has attached AV cables and an on/off button, along with baseball, golf, and tennis balls that light up when the game turns on. The storage deck has three slots for each attachment, and the grip controller has a sliding on/off switch. Three color-coordinated buttons match the attachments and have up and down arrows for movement.

Setup is easy. You'll need four double-A batteries for the base unit and two double-As for the grip controller. When the batteries are in, just plug the AV cord into the proper TV input, hit the on button on the base unit, and play ball.

The included games teach numbers, colors, and letters as well as adding, subtracting, and spelling words. Each game features a character, one for each sport: a monkey (for tennis), elephant (golf), and cat (baseball). Your child can customize the characters by changing the colors of their clothes and accessories. The 3-in-1 Smart Sports includes nine different games, with three levels of difficulty for each. 

Penbo, from Bossa Nova Robotics ($79.99 list), is an adorable interactive robotic penguin created just for kids. It's recommended for children ages four and up, so my four-year-old daughter qualifies; she and I tried it out.

After fighting through the standard packaging with its multitude of wire-ties, I was finally able to hand Penbo to my daughter. Her immediate reaction: "She's cute, and I like her bow. It looks pretty on her." Happily, batteries are included with Penbo, so as soon as we got her out of the package we were playing with her.

Penbo also comes with a baby penguin, named Bebe, who you'll find in an egg stored in Penbo's tummy. Once you open the egg, you can use Bebe to interact and control Penbo, via infrared signals. Penbo can also interact with you through the sensors on its head and tail, and the microphone hidden in its neck. Push the hidden buttons in Penbo's head and right wing, for example, and it plays a mimic game. Press Bebe's right wing, and Penbo plays a peek-a-boo game.

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Is your little one a video-game couch potato? JAKKS Pacific may have what you need with the Star Wars Republic Squadron Motion Flight Game ($29.99 list, for ages 5 and up). Your child's moves control the game, so kids will stay on their feet.

The Star Wars Republic Squadron Motion Flight Game is basically a game controller that you plug into your TV; the game is built in. It has AV cables attached, and on the controller are a menu button, an on/off switch, and dual trigger buttons on both ends and underneath the controller.

Setup was super easy: Since it's a plug-and-play toy, there's nothing to build or put together. (And the packaging was easy to get into, unlike with so many toys; you just untie a few strings, and it's out of the box.) The controller requires four double-A batteries. To insert them, you turn the controller over and unscrew the compartment. Then just  plug the AV cord into the proper TV input, hit the on switch, and you're good to go.

The mission in this entertaining game is to help Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker fight General Grievous and his separatist forces. Your child flies a number of ships in a series of campaigns to help them win (there are over 20 missions included).

The rugged Disney Pix Jr. digital camera is a fun (and safe) way to introduce your children to digital photography. The model my son and I tested is based on the Pixar movie Cars, with Lightning McQueen splashed all over the front panel (a "Princess" version is available as well). My four-year-old had a terrific time learning and playing with this rugged 1.3-megapixel camera—particularly since I was there to help.

He's landed on our strange planet, and he's ready for any task you have. No, I don't mean Lance Ulanoff—I'm talking about the Disney Ultimate Buzz Lightyear ($199.99 direct, $129.99 to $149.99 street). This programmable robot toy is remarkably lifelike and engaging, which is helped by 7 motors and 3 sensors.

Buzz responds to 6 voice commands and can walk, talk (over 100 sayings voiced by Tim Allen himself), blink, move his arms and legs, swivel his head, fire his "laser," and even high-five you. He comes with a 15-function remote control. And using what Disney calls "Puppeteering Programming," you can move his arms, legs, and head into a series of new positions and record the sequence for playback.

Check out our video to see more of what Buzz (and Lance) can do. Any Toy Story fan—really, anyone!—will get a kick out of this little guy.

It's Friday, and it's just about Halloween, which means you're probably sitting in your cubicle eating candy for lunch and looking at photos of dogs dressed up as Darth Vader. Just me? Well, Gearlog has a few
spooky sites for you to check out.

1. If you didn't get around to carving your own jack-o-lanterns this Halloween, then you can do so online. Check out this virtual pumpkin carver from vidugiris.com.

2. It's too late to mail a Halloween card, but it's not too late to send an e-card! Take a look at these Halloween e-cards from MyPunchBowl.com before it's too late.

3. Although this has nothing to do with tech, it's still extremely disgusting, and a great cake for this spooky holiday. Check out Instructables' Brain Cake.

4. Thanks to Popular Mechanics, you can spy on those hooligans coming to toilet-paper your house, or steal your Halloween decorations with this DIY pumpkin surveillance camera.

5. Spruce up your computer with a flashy Halloween desktop. (Via LifeHacker)

6.  It might be a little too late for this year, but you can always get an early start for next Halloween:  Check out the Pumpkin Pal Stake (pictured above) which lights up your jack-o-lantern by sticking the stake directly in the pumpkin. 

Happy Halloween!

Do Microsoft's new storefronts look eerily family to you? The company's new mall-based retail locations seem to have taken more than a few aesthetic and spiritual cues from Apple's successful stores.

The company opened up its first location in Scottsdale, Arizona this week, and PCMag sent a photographer with a last name rather similar to our own consumer electronics managing editor. You can check out a slideshow of the company's new Windows 7-centric location at PCMag, Surface computer included.

Microsoft opened up a second location in Mission Viejo, California, to what was apparently a rather enthusiastic reception. According to the OC Register, over 1,000 people crowded into the Orange County Mall, in an attempt to check out the new store.

Maybe it had something to do with the gift bags that Microsoft was handing out, which included a $25 Zune Pass gift card and lip balm, among other MS swag. Times are tough and lips are chapped all over, I guess.

Jedi trainees can stop wandering the neighborhood looking for a kindly old man or frog-like hermit to train them in the ways of the force. Uncle Milton's new Star Wars The Force Trainer can help them hone their mind-object control skills. I'm no longer a kid, but I grew up with Star Wars and still secretly (well not so secretly now) wish I had Jedi mind skills.

The $99 product arrived in our offices last week, and I took it for a test drive earlier today. It takes AA batteries and three AAAs, but otherwise set-up is a no-brainer (get it?). The double AAs go in the base, which uses a fan to push a decorated ping-pong ball up a transparent tube. It communicates wirelessly with the adjustable headset, which features three sensors that ostensibly read your brainwaves and transmit the information back to the base. With the right kind of concentration (sit still, don't hold your breath, and think about making the ball rise), you can make the fan blow harder (or softer) and send the ball up and down the tube. Training takes you from Padawan level to Jedi Master--Yoda is your audio coach throughout.

Virtually all promotion pictures and video show a boy with his hand stretched toward the device. This isn't necessary, but a fair amount of concentration is. I didn't break a sweat during the test drive, but I believe I may have, with Yoda's help (he coaches you throughout), finally become a Jedi. The proof is in the video.

Check it out, after the jump.

Like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, The Pleo robotic camosaur has reemerged, though without the help of dino-DNA. In a lengthy interview on Robotsrule, Ugobe founder and now COO of Innvo Labs Derek Dotson said Pleo is for sale again at Innvo's web site. What's more surprising is that Innvo's Pleo is not simply an inventory clear-out item. Dotson told Robotsrule that there are actually a number of improvements, including better paint, more durable skin, biodegradable packaging and better battery chargers. Innvo is also planning on improving future Pleos, making better use of its camera and opening up a processing bottleneck so the robot companion can do more with its existing sensors.

One thing that hasn't change, yet, is the pricing. The adorable bot is still $349. Innvo will want to get to work on lowering that price if they don't want to Pleo to fade into extinction.

This November marks the fifth year of Wired magazine's annual pop-up store. The Wired Store offers many of the neat gadgets seen in the magazine, and, for the first time, it will feature a design collaboration with Moby (yes, that world-famous musician guy).

Located at 415 West 13th St. in New York City, the store will have more than 150 items on display, including TVs, laptops, cell phones, clothing, kids toys, and more. The Wired Store will also host regular events, like Geek Dad Saturdays, and Game Day Sundays, as well as wine tastings and chef demos in the WIRED Cafe.

There will also be a green section curated by Adrian Grenier and Peter Glatzer of SHFT.COM, and a gaming section curated by non other than Tony Hawk.

The Wired Store will be open to the public from November 21, 2009 through December 27, 2009. Visit the store's Web site for more information.

Who remembers when the original Rubik's Cube first became a global craze? Anyone? That was 1974, and according to Wikipedia, it still sells better than just about any other toy.

But this is the digital age, so techie toy maker TechnoSource decided it was time to make an electronic version of the diabolically challenging cube. Instead of physically twisting slices of the cube to try to turn each side all one color, you slide your finger along the top, and the colored lights make the move for you. You can also ask the Cube for hints, undo moves, and even get it to solve itself. Confused? Just watch the video. 

The cube (along with its charging dock) is out now at some Best Buys; the official on-sale date is October 18th, so you have less than a week to save up the $150 you'll need to own one of these beauties.

Gaming is about to change--forever. One of the highlights of this year's newly rejuvenated E3 conference was a couple of motion-controlled gaming interfaces from Sony and Microsoft. Sony's prototype uses ice-cream-cone-like wands, with a special camera that puts you and your actions in the game. Microsoft's Project Natal also uses a special camera, but has dropped the controllers entirely. All you need is your body.

The videos and on-stage demonstrations from the event looked amazing. Still, I was skeptical,--until I got to try it for myself. The new gaming technology was honored as part last week's Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Awards, which meant Project Natal made a rare live appearance at the pre-and post awards ceremony festivities. I lined up along with a number of children and other event attendees for a few minutes with the still-in-development gaming control system.

In a word, it's remarkable.