Christmas 2012 gifts: Video games Tipped as the most advanced home training game ever made, Nike+ Kinect offers the most persuasive opportunity yet to nudge the coffee table out of the way and start doing squat thrusts on your carpet. The experience is similar to an exercise class, with the on-screen instructor demonstrating a move before you repeat it. Kinect tracks your movements and scores accordingly. Available at Amazon. Wonderbook (PS3), for kids, Game and book, £24.99; game and book, camera and Move controller, £59.99. Capitalising on the millions of children desperate for a letter from Hogwarts to arrive on their 11th birthday, Wonderbook allows young gamers to cast spells from the Harry Potter series by waving a wand and using a book full of symbols that the PlayStation's camera can "see." It's as close to being a witch or wizard as most of us are likely to get. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (3DS), for kids, £29.99 A puzzling Nintendo 3DS adventure with buckets of charm, Miracle Mask casts players in the role of Layton, his assistant Emmy and his apprentice Luke as they investigate a series of mysterious assaults on the town by the Masked Gentleman. It combines gorgeous visuals with a gripping story and engaging puzzles that will delight young and old alike. Nintendo Wii U, for everyone, £248 This is the only truly new console launching this year and the first major new console since 2006, so it's expected to make a splash. The successor to the revolutionary, popular Wii, it features full-HD graphics and a new interface that combines a tablet with a controller. It's expected to shift 3.5 million units by the end of December and launch titles include New Super Mario Bros. Mii, DiRT, Darksiders II and Tekken. Pokemon White / Black Version 2 (DS), for kids, £27.99 The developers of Pokemon have always been adept at rehashing the series, but breaking with convention for Pokemon White and Black its developers have come up with a brand new adventure. In gameplay terms it's not too much of a departure from the previous games in the series, but it has undergone some great refinements and acquired lots of fresh content to boot. It's the richest Pokemon yet, and there's enough here to keep your kids occupied for months. Dishonored (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), for adults, £27.99 A first person shooter with a difference, In Dishonored you play a masked assassin who uses supernatural powers to eliminate his targets. The twist is that you don't need to kill anyone at all. By using a combination of stealth and special abilities you are given the freedom to play the game as a silent assassin or a cold-blooded butcher. This is an intelligent first person shooter with plenty of replay value. FIFA 13 (Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PS Vita, PSP, Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, Android, Mac OS X), for everyone, £34.99 to £49.99 FIFA's only true rival PES is set to give it a run for its money this year, with an uncommonly accomplished sequel of its own - but FIFA remains the preeminent football game, offering smooth gameplay, unmatched realism, crisp visuals and slick presentation. It's also the one your mates are most likely to be able to play - which is a pretty crucial determining factor in a genre where multiplayer takes on enormous significance. Forza Horizon (Xbox 360), for everyone, £29.99 A game that teams the peerless elegance of the Forza series with an array of glorious, burnished environments and attentive stage-setting, this mature racer will delight serious gamers and motoring enthusiasts alike. It's a thrilling racer that's especially rewarding in single player mode and will be a welcome addition to the discerning gamer's stocking. Borderlands 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Mac OS X), for adults, £24 Another carefully crafted shooter with a celebrated space-western aesthetic and dozens of options for modding and upgrades, Borderlands 2 houses a vast, cartoonish, ultra-violent environment. It's not for kids. It is a real time sink of a game, though - an irreverent shooter with dozens of upgrade opportunities. Assassin's Creed III (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC), for adults, £29.99 to £44.99 Another huge sequel out in time for Christmas, Assassin's Creed III is vast yet painstakingly detailed. Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution, the game follows the path of a half-Briton half native American as he battles his way through hordes of British and American soldiers. It's a violent adventure with plenty of replay value. Halo 4 (Xbox 360), for adults, £34.99 The latest, most hotly anticipated game in the Halo series was taken on by a different development studio, but the new series has succeeded in striking a balance that should keep fans and newcomers alike happy. The strongest criticism that has so far been levelled at Halo 4 is that it's too similar to its previous incarnations - but that's unlikely to upset anyone who's played this iconic series before. Bluntly, if you've enjoyed a previous Halo, you'll like this one. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U), for adults, £34.99 Just like Halo 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops II doesn't feel like a sequel so much as a pack expansion. The latest game in the hugely popular franchise catapults players into 2025. Introducing player-led decisions into the mix in a slightly unfamiliar setting, Black Ops II introduces just enough innovation to keep things interesting. PES 2013 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PS2, PSP, Wii, 3DS, iOS, Android), for everyone, £34.99 The latest incarnation of PES has seen it make a famous return to form. Once the discerning football gamer's choice, it has been overtaken in recent years by its higher profile, bigger budget rival. PES is arguably tougher to learn but also more rewarding in the long term, with a carefully weighted control system that rewards players who persevere. Fable: The Journey (Xbox 360), for everyone, £19.99 One for budding wizards and witches, Fable makes use of Microsoft's Kinect motion sensitive technology to allow the user to do battle by waving their arms at the screen. It features a sumptuously rendered world that equips you with a full complement of spells with which to do battle. The Kinect's own limitations are the only thing stopping this adventure from being a bona fide classic, but there's plenty of fun to be had here and it would suit younger gamers not ready for this year's more violent releases.