The UK computer and video games industry is bracing itself for a buying frenzy as two rivals go head-to-head with the Sony PlayStation 2.
New consoles from Microsoft and Nintendo are due to hit our shores this Spring.
At the same time, a host of games characters - some familiar faces, some new - are getting ready to storm the charts and invade gamers' sitting rooms.
The industry body, the European Leisure Software Publishers' Association (ELSPA), predicts 2002 will not only be another record year for sales of games but also an important year in positioning video games as a mass market entertainment medium appealing to people of all ages, sexes and interests.
The expected surge should begin on Thursday when Microsoft launches its Xbox console across Europe.
When the console launched in the United States last year it shipped 1.5 million units and sold three games for every console.
The UK console will be £299, with most games costing £44.99.
With a £350 million marketing budget and a strong line-up of launch titles, including Dead or Alive 3 and the critically-acclaimed Halo, it is likely to be a major success.
The Xbox is about the same size as a VCR and has a front-loading DVD drive but it does not play DVD movies unless you purchase a movie playback kit (£29.99), which unlocks the feature in the Xbox hardware.
The console has an Ethernet port for broadband connections and an 8Gb hard drive to save game data and download additional new characters and levels.
Eventually, the Xbox will also be capable of in-game Dolby Digital surround sound - a first for a video game console.
Following close on its heels is the GameCube from Nintendo.
Launching in the UK on May 3, it is expected to retail for less than £200 (£169.00 is predicted) with games costing about £40.
When it was launched in Japan and the United States last year, a total of 2.5 million units were sold by the end of December.
The GameCube is barely wider than a Game Boy Advance, which it can connect to, and four inches high.
Nintendo is selling it as a "good old fashioned" video game console, rather than a multimedia entertainment device.
The discs used by the GameCube derive from the DVD format but it cannot play DVD movies.
However, Nintendo has said Panasonic will eventually release a more expensive DVD player with the GameCube hardware included.
The GameCube boasts an impressive range of launch titles, including the esoteric Super Monkey Ball and jet-ski racer Wave Race, and will benefit from Nintendo's renowned in-house games teams.
Both consoles will compete against the hugely-popular PlayStation 2, which is already a fixture in more than 1.75 million UK homes after a slow start.
The PlayStation 2, which costs less than £200 and can play DVD movies, continues to attract converts, especially given strong support from third-party software developers.
But the excitement is not restricted to new consoles. A number of new games are set to launch, each of which will gross as much as a Hollywood blockbuster film and many will be produced in UK.
One of the most eagerly-awaited games, Metal Gear Solid 2 for the PlayStation 2 was released last Friday.
The game, likely to be one of the biggest sellers ever, is conservatively expected to sell about 800,000 units in the UK in its first year.
This would gross more than £35 million and put it in the same league as the Monsters Inc. film.
The PlayStation 2 will also mean the return of the leading lady of video games, Lara Croft, while Super Mario and Donkey Kong will make a comeback on the GameCube.
Although many consumers will be confused about which console to buy, Roger Bennett, director general of ELSPA, said all three would be successful.
He said: "All three consoles bring different things to the market and will appeal to a wide range of consumers, from dedicated gamers to casual users, from lifestyle and technology junkies to kids, their parents and even their grandparents.
"Last year, the industry had its most successful year ever with sales of consoles and leisure software increasing by 36 per cent to reach £1.6 billion.
"This year will be even better. Having already overtaken video and cinema, the games market is now poised to overtake music in terms of consumer spend. Of course, with an expanded market and range of product, also comes price competition. Consumers can look forward to more choice at a wide range of prices. This major boom in UK video gaming is a win-win situation for the industry and consumers."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article