Back in the days... of the year 1998 around Christmas time, as these things often happen, a new craze began. The fad was filled with a burst of energy from the uniqueness of the new toys which swept the nation. They were strange, they were exotic, they weren't yo-yos. They were Tamagotchi.

Thousands upon thousands of classrooms nationwide began to suffer the constant beeps and blips of critters needing fed or to have their digi-poop cleared away lest they became ill. This was long before mobile phones became a staple of everyone under the age the 60, of course. What were the strange devices? Merely a toy in a garish plastic shell, a rudimentary form of AI, or the first of many things to come from Japan to brainwash the innocent minds which clamoured for them?

I had one, which I had to trade a copy of Duke Nukem 3D for (don't worry, I made a 'backup' first - I wasn't that silly, even then), as they were impossible to get hold of in the shops. I remember the novelty value wearing off pretty quickly. There isn't a lot which can be done with three buttons - lets be honest. Feed a meal, feed a snack exercise, clean, repeat. CONSTANTLY. Praying that the next evolution would bestow a differen creature, of which there were not many variants. Cheap imitations, of course, quickly appeared, saturated the market so everyone could have something resembling this, be it dinosaur, penguin or even chicken-shaped pixels, and the next fad steamed in. Yo-yos, of course, but I digress.

During a free hour a few weeks ago, I decided to peruse eBay and look at some of the toys I rmembered from childhood. Boglins, Ghostbuster action figures, Master Systems... and Tamagotchi. Sweet Jesus, is all I have to say. Not only is there an intense collectors market, especiall for rare Japanese versions, the damned things are still being made. In fact, a version 5.5, dubbed the Celebrity, has just been released in the States. Each version has dozens of different case designs, thus creating an instant collectors market in and of itself, but the real shock came with the price.

A Devilgotchi, with bats, ghosts, pumpkin-creatures et al goes on average for £120 ($240). It is no more complex than what is described above, but it is heavily desired. Especially the one with the black case, I believe. The pink one not so much.

Or how about a Santaclautchi, a special Christmas themed tamagotchi where the aim is to keep Santa happy and deliver presents? You're looking again at obscene amounts of money to get your hands on one, IF they come onto the market at all.

American Oceangotchi is another shocker - apparently the hardest, most needy of the lot, it has three secret characters, including a mermaid, none of which have, it is believed, been unlocked by the Western market.

These new models, however, are apparently much more advanced than their primitive ancestors, featuring a variety of foods, snacks, items, games and online / other tamagotchi interactivity. Out of curiosity, one was procured. Now there's all hell let loose if it doesn't get a smoothie pretty much on the hour! But it still has only three buttons. Limit, or fantastic way to encourage creativity for the developers?

The question still remains, are tamagotchis games? Hell yes, just VERY different from the likes of Guitar Hero, or Half-Life 2. As gamers, we should be able to appreciate the clever programming and manner in which these devices can capture and pique ones interest. They can never vbecome a fad in todays society, but they can provide a bit of amusement before being stuffed into the back of the drawer, once again, a decade later.