Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock screenshot

4. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2 and PC.
If the idea of playing the part of a rock god in front of your family this Christmas appeals, then look no further than Guitar Hero. It comes with an actual replica guitar and sees you pressing buttons on the neck while strumming a trigger back and forth to on-screen visual cues. It can be a bit tough, and only two players can play at once, but it's great fun, is quite good to just watch and comes with some excellent fist-pumping tracks. There's nothing quite like Guitar Hero - one of the best party games ever.

3. SingStar, PS3.
SingStar, the video game world's version of karaoke, is guaranteed family and friend fun. It's very accessible, perfect for those post-pub Christmas "round my place" late nights and you can even get it with a microphone. As Will said in his review: "This is so far from Call of Duty 4 and Assassin's Creed it's like reviewing another medium, but it's still on the PlayStation 3, so get round your mates, put a limit on your credit card, turn up the volume and get ready to party like RTSs and FPSs never existed."