These days people of all ages enjoy playing video games, and there’s a huge variety of genres to choose from. For gaming fun the whole family will enjoy, here are a selection of the brightest and best video games available to buy.

The family friendly game Mariokart is the obvious choice for many people – its colourful, captivating characters are a big draw for children, and the unique Wii controllers make gameplay intuitive, simple and easy to master. On the surface it appears to be a very straightforward racing game, but it’s soon spiced up by a great range of power ups, new tracks and funky vehicles. These features give it truly global appeal, allowing adults and children to share endless fun in the multiplayer mode. One of the Wii’s biggest hit games of all time, Mariokart is an enduring classic and thoroughly deserving of its popularity.

The arrival of the Wii and XBox Kinect heralded big changes on the gaming scene due to the advent of wireless gameplay and the endless possibilities it brought. One of the most exciting advances has been the flood of dancing games to the market, turning front rooms into dancefloors and getting gamers up off their chairs and moving. Just Dance is probably the most popular of these games, the original for the Wii then spawning numerous sequels on other platforms including the Kinect and Playstation 3. Family amusement is guaranteed when Dad starts strutting his stuff, but on a more serious note these games are excellent for developing physical aptitude and most have fitness modes too. The Disney version offers entertainment in a package most suitable for younger children, but all of this series has value for the entire family – sense of humour essential!

Of course the various consoles we have mentioned are extremely popular but the PC is holding its own as a games platform, and there are some great family friendly games on offer in this format too. National Geographic Challenge is a great example of an educational game pitched at the whole family – it has numerous mini games and puzzles, based on factual information presented via video clips and images. It goes to show that gaming can be a great informative tool, perfect for inspiring children and enlightening the adults too.

So from the family friendly game Mariokart to energetic dancing, from sports to puzzles, gaming opens up whole new worlds. From the comfort of home, games bring families together to explore, learn and laugh.