Swashbuckling fun for budding buccaneers.

• Position: What's New? - Pirate toys and games - Brief article

Ahoy there, Mateys! As you may have noticed, pirates are everywhere these days. From feature films to reality TV, it seems you can't turn around without seeing these marauders of the high seas. So, why should the little ones be left out of the action?

The Pirate Land Pop Up Adventure from Mattel, El Segundo, Calif., promises hours of imaginative fun for the budding buccaneer. This Matchbox playset comes in a portable case which swings open 360[degrees] to reveal four themed areas: the Pirate Ship, Croc Cove, Forbidden Island, and Treasure Lagoon.

Pirate Land ($29.99) comes with a firing cannon and two cannon balls, a chomping crocodile, two pirate figures, treasure chest filled with gold, and, of course, a Matchbox car. While kids will love the adventure, parents will love that it arrives assembled and, when clean-up time comes, the child just closes the case and the playset folds away neatly. For more information, visit www.matchbox.com.

Older swashbucklers can take on the role of pirate captain in the 17th-century...