So many titles, so much fun to be had.

• Position: VIDEO GAMES

You won't have to took far down a child's wish list to find video game requests. From compelling action adventures to sports challenges to repackaged old favorites, there are titles to please all age groups.

Activision, Santa Monica, Calif., invites you to recapture the movie experience and become the Fantastic 4. Assume the persona of Mir. Fantastic/Reed Richards, Invisible Woman/Sue Storm, Human Torch/Johnny Storm, or Thing/Ben Grimm and master their individual attributes and unique powers to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and defeat enemies. Another option is to control the Fantastic 4 together as a team and dynamically switch between characters during their adventures, and combine super powers in order to level more devastating attacks and accomplish missions. Rated T for Teen, the game has mild language and violence, and is priced at $49.99 on PlayStation 2, Xbox, or GameCube, $39.99 for the PC.

Madagascar, based on the wildly popular movie, lets players enter the world of Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, and Gloria the hippo from the Central Park Zoo. Participants must master each animal's natural skills while adventuring through the exciting city of New York and the dangerous island of Madagascar, tackling obstacles and enemies in scenes from the movie and beyond. Due to cartoon violence and crude humor, this Activision game is rated E10+--suitable for children age 10 and older--and is available on PS2, Xbox, GC, and Nintendo DS for $39.99, GameBoy Advance, $29.99, and PC, $19.99.

Become the world's most famous superhero in Ultimate Spider-Man, and take on one of his most-menacing nemeses, Venom. This exciting adventure from Activision takes place in New York City as players face off against characters from the Marvel universe. Gameplay unfolds through interactive comic book panels with 3D Comic Inking Technology that makes it possible to sense danger from multiple perspectives. Available on PS2, Xbox, and GC for $49.99, and PC for $29.99, the game is rated T for Teen due to language and violence.

In X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, the rival X-Men and Brotherhood, bonded by a common enemy, fight side by side for the first time, allowing players to...