Double the fun at Half-Term

Many of the best videogames now allow for co-operative as well as competitive gameplay. We take a look at some of the best to enjoy with your family from Monday.

You'll excuse the stereotype scenarios here, but we're sure you can pick and mix from the selections listed. Girls love football too, and plenty of lads love singing... no they really do.

So here goes...

Dads and lads
Predictable perhaps, but the chart-topping FIFA 10 on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 will ensure that the boys of the household are kept busy all week. Every League team is in here, not just the top tier. It looks and plays brilliantly. You can play on the same team to avoid tantrums, and if you're online at home everyone can team up for games of 10 vs 10 for rained-in afternoons across the UK. The hardest thing will be pulling the boys away for mealtimes. Don't even think about the washing up.

We also, less predictably, enjoyed EA's recent G.I. Joe action adventure. Yes it is a very silly shoot-em-up, but one that allows a more skilled player (i.e. your child) advance through the game on a tougher difficulty setting than say, well, Dad.

And if sports or shooting stuff doesn't appeal to everyone, there's always Uncharted 2 on PlayStation 3, or Disney's Up on Wii or Xbox 360 for co-operative adventures.

Mums and daughters
No doubt about it, if funds allow, and in the long-term you feel it's going to be worth it, the singing games for Xbox, PlayStation and Wii are huge fun for girls of all ages. SingStar Abba is wonderful, in fact SingStar comes in so many flavours now you're stuck for choice. Wii is kind of restricted to Guitar Hero and Rock Band, however Disney's Sing It has family-oriented rock and pop from Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers and you can probably guess the rest. You'll need Logitech mics for that one though.

Dare we suggest Wii Fit Plus for a Half-Term work out for Mums and daughters to get in shape ahead of the Christmas ‘go-arrn treat yerself' silly season? More sedentary entertainment can be had with the brilliant Cate West detective game on Wii. The PC and DS versions were great, but solving puzzles on the telly is luxury.

If Half Term is all about shopping, however, you could be impressed by the oft overlooked Nintendo DS game Walk With Me, that uses a couple of pedometers to monitor exercise taken throughout the day, week, and month (if you're keen!).

Younger Siblings
Top choice here has to be Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games for Nintendo Wii. Our review last week described this as "more than enough enjoyment for a whole season's worth of party-gaming". There are 25 events here that include Slalom skiing, ski jumping, ice-hockey and snowboarding. This can become competitive, but it's also as much fun to shout encouragement especially for ski jumping.

Alternatively Sony's curious little Eye Pet for PlayStation 3 will certainly keep youngsters enthralled, using the PS3 camera combined with a 'magic card' to bring a little creature to life inside your living room. It costs only £20, or thereabouts - depending on whether you already own a PS3 camera or buy the software bundle.

Teens at 10pm
We imagine that many teens will be on the look out for DJ Hero, released at the end of the week. It's a cool piece of kit, sold as a turntable controller plus game bundle, though rather pricey just to kill boredom. But Activision is supporting this scratch 'n' mix effort with download content in the near future. Don't mind the noise.

Guitar Hero 5 is a no-brainer and less of an outlay if you already have the controllers at home. Activision has transformed this into a fully-fledged jam session now, so be warned that GH5 could make your house resemble St Pancras International at rush hour. Don't mind the muddy boots.

Our curve ball for the teens is Team Fortress 2, included in EA's Orange Box (or PC download) that also contains the excellent Half-Life first-person-shooters. Although it's been around a while, TF2 is really the ultimate game of soldiers on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC. It is perfectly designed for team-based gameplay. And only £15 (if you shop around).

The Family Together
Bless your hearts if you're going to be all playing together during Half Term evenings and the weekend. The luxury option in our view is The Beatles: Rock Band, with its No Fail mode that's all about miming to the classic songs and never mind singing in tune or in time or even the correct words. Don't forget this is also available on Wii, you don't need a fancy ‘big' console like PS3 or Xbox to enjoy.

For Wii specifically there's nothing finer than Wii Sports Resort. Obvious really but you might still be sitting on the fence, needing an excuse to indulge. If Wii Sports was the reason you got into Wii in the first place, don't give it another thought.

Well, we think that has to be quite enough to keep you going for now. Any more suggestions for great co-op games old and new let's have them.

Enjoy having the kids at home!