Best described as Second Life for young brick heads, LEGO Minecraft allows gamers to build their own subterranean mini universe for a breed of iconic micro mob characters.

LEGO and Mojang have just announced that sets are now available to pre-order online for summer 2012.

So, what’s it all about? Why is LEGO Minecraft such a big deal?

There is of course a clever idea at the core of this brand new range. Toys have to be incredibly innovative these days and LEGO Minecraft is no exception. The twist is simple genius that virtually ensures sales. LEGO got smart and set up LEGO CUUSOO, a site that allows fans to submit ideas that can be made reality. LEGO Minecraft won over 10,000 votes and was actually developed by four fans in conjunction with company designers.

Unlike many traditional gaming worlds, LEGO Minecraft boasts a design that allows builders the freedom to configure the universe any way they wish. The surface of the modules can be lifted off easily to reveal mines and secret resources. Fans can create their own scenery and stack cubes in literally any formation.

Minifigures are a vital component of all LEGO playsets. If a formula ain’t broke, don’t fix it! LEGO Minecraft has two main micro mob stars; Steve and a Creeper. This may be an innovative new product but it still has the old LEGO magic.

Paal Smith-Meyer, Head of the LEGO New Business Group commented:

“LEGO Minecraft Micro World is designed to celebrate the essence of the LEGO concept and the Minecraft gaming experience.”

The old school revolution starts here!

Moshi Monsters Bobble Bots

It’s all thanks to robotic technology.

Innovation First, the brains behind Hexbug, has joined forces with Mind Candy to create smart Moshlings. Combine the innovative nano technology used to make the Hexbug scuttle with the cute and collectible appeal of Moshi Monsters and you’ve got a smash hit on your hands. The new batch of Moshlings have huge heads and vibrate as they whiz around their little world.

Remember those chattering teeth on feet that clattered around when wound up? Well, this is essentially the 21st century version. Moshi Monsters Bobble Bots wobble around the room and mesmerise kids and parents. They’re much funnier and cuter than the teeth and far more sophisticated. Unlike their toothy predecessors, these little cuties are programmed to respond to their playset surroundings. It’s hard not to crack a smile when they’re zooming around stores and bumping into doors.

Mind Candy hasn’t missed a trick. Everything about the Moshi Monsters Bobble Bots launch is smart, from the design to the range of toys available. At first, there will be 24 Bobble Bots Moshlings to collect. Here’s the smart bit – only 8 of them will be able to buy individually. The only way to get your hands on the others is to buy one of the playsets that their buddies Innovation First are launching. Innovation First are used their technological smarts to add exclusive content to the playsets that can only be unlocked online.

Even the price is right. Each individual Moshling Bobble Bot will retail at £4.99. Four starter sets will also be available, which feature four exclusive Moshlings at £12.99. For £14.99, you can pick up four shops, including the Ice Scream Shop and the Grossery Store. The larger starter playsets retail at £29.99. The Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters House has bestseller written all over it and comes complete with Oddie.

Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters House

Make no mistake, folks; this playground craze is here to stay.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Lego Friends City Park Cafe

January 2012 sees the US launch of the range, which boasts a total of 23 products. In addition to the doll there will be three new brick colours and playsets featuring intricate interiors and realistic details. The entire range is based on girls’ tastes and interests and is one of LEGO’s most thoroughly researched ranges.

Nanna Ulrich Gudum, LEGO’s senior creative director, explained the thinking behind the range:

“Unlike previous LEGO toys for girls, LEGO Friends, at its core, does not apologise for being a construction toy and delivers, for the first time, a building experience in the same scale as our classic offerings. What LEGO Friends does differently is deliver the beauty, details, accessories, real world themes and need for strong interiors that the research revealed would make all the difference for girls aged 5 and up.”

Lego Friends Stephanie’s Bakery

The mini-doll figure is the star of the new range and is in many ways similar to the classic minifigures. She shares the iconic hand shape, can wear the same headpieces and is compatible with all LEGO building sets. However, she stands around 5mm taller and features a more stylised look that girls can relate to.

The international launch will take place in the spring, by which time a total of 29 LEGO mini-dolls will be available.

Speaking of which, the sets all relate to the new LEGO Friends world. Heartlake City is home to five girls – Olivia, Mia, Andrea, Stephanie and Emma. Each has a unique personality and set of interests. All sets reflect a different element of Heartlake City and where the girls’ adventures occur. There are sets to reflect downtown and the suburbs, along with the beach, camping grounds and mountains.

Smaller sets include: Stephanie’s Outdoor Bakery, Emma’s Splash Pool, Andrea’s Stage, Olivia’s Inventor Workshop, Stephanie’s Pet Patrol, Mia’s Puppy House and Emma’s Design Studio.

Larger sets include: Stephanie’s Cool Convertible, Olivia’s Tree House, Heartlake Dog Show, Butterfly Beauty Shop, City Park Cafe, Heartlake Vet and Olivia’s House.

Lego Friends Olivia’s House

A further nine play sets will be launched in the summer.

The LEGO Friends range is backed by an online presence. Children will be able to get a feel for the personalities of the five girls and explore Heartlake City. There will also be an avatar creator, mini-movies, games, video building tips, competitions, promotions and an events diary.

Visit friends.lego.com for more information.

Decided by a panel of independent toy retailers, the awards are traditionally given to products from a wide range of categories such as construction, games & puzzles, action figures, plush toys. This year saw the addition of a brand new category – ‘App Toys’ with the Moshi App Monster from Vivid, AppGear from Character Options and Tardis Smart Safe from Zeon all picking up awards.

Best New Toys for 2012 list of winners

Action Figures/Accessories

• Ben 10 Omniverse Rooks Truck – Bandai
• Gladiators and Battle Rhinoceros – Schleich
• Pirate Ship – Playmobil

App Toys

• AppGear – Character Options
• Moshi App Monster – Vivid
• Tardis Smart Safe – Zeon

Construction/Building Sets

• LEGO Friends Olivia’s House – LEGO
• LEGO Ninjago Dragon – LEGO
• Meccano Advanced Construction Tool Box – Meccano

Creative

• Aquarelle – Ravensburger
• Crayola Colour Wonder Metallic Paper – Vivid
• MyStyle Japanese Best Friend Dolls – Interplay

Games & Puzzles

• Logo ‘What Am I?’ – Drumond Park
• Poppin Hoppies – University Games
• The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Puzzle – H.P. Gibsons

Girls

• Sylvanian Families Ice Cream Van – Flair
• Dizzy Dancer Dix Studio – Hasbro
• Hello Kitty Vellutata Mushroom House – HTI

Hobby and Models

• Micro Scalextric Star Wars Death Star Attack – Hornby Hobbies
• Outspeeder – Revell

Olympics 2012

• Team GB Mini – Golden Bear
• London 2012 Pictagram Figurine Collection – Hornby Hobbies
• Trunki Team GB – Trunki

Infant/Preschool

• Letter Factory Phonics – LeapFrog
• Mike the Knight Action Playsets – Character Options
• Winnie the Pooh Spin ‘n’ Play Acorn Train – Tomy

The 2012 Toy Fair takes place today and tomorrow at the London Olympia exhibition hall.

[Via ToyNews]

So, without further ado, here are our 10 LEGO picks:

City Police Station

Restore law and order in LEGO City with this 783-piece set, including evidence room, kennel, secret compartment, police car, police van and more! Price: £60-70

compare prices

City Mobile Police Unit

This 408-piece set from the City range features 3 vehicles: the impressive Mobile Police Unit, a bright red sports car and a police motorbike. Price: £30-40

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City Powerboat Transporter

Cruise on the road and the water with the 254-piece Power Boat Transporter set. The boat really can float on water, and the the set includes 2 figures. Price: £20-25

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Harry Potter Knight Bus

Build a replica of the famous triple-decker bus from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The set contains 281 pieces, including three minifigures. Price: £25-30

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Heroica Castle Fortaan Game

Castle Fortaan has fallen to the Goblin King, you must find a way past the Goblin horde to defeat him in this 304-piece set from the LEGO Games range. Price: £20-25

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Ninjago Fire Temple

Save the Dragon Sword of Fire from the clutches of the evil Skeleton Army, in this 1174-piece Ninjago set. Comes with seven minifigures. Price: £70-90

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Pirates of the Caribbean Whitecap Bay

Help Captain Jack and his band of pirates catch one of the mermaids of Whitecap Bay in this 746-piece set. Comes with six minifigures. Price: £60-75

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Star Wars Republic Frigate

Take the Jedi Knights and clone heroes into battle with the huge 1022-piece LEGO Republic Frigate! Contains five minifigures. Price: £75-100

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Star Wars The Battle of Naboo

Help the Gungans fight off the battle droids in this 241-piece LEGO Star Wars set. Includes 12 minifigures. Price: £20-25

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Technic Flatbed Truck

Build a truck with working steering, winch, wheel lift and a motorized flatbed! The set contains 1115 pieces, and the completed model is 40cm long. Price: £65-75

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So there you have it, 10 fantastic LEGO sets for Christmas 2011 – what do you think of our picks?

View more sets here

Christmas is coming early for LEGO fans! Amazon have up to 20% off selected sets, including ones from the City, Star Wars, Technic, Creator and DUPLO ranges. Click on the banner above for more info.

We’ve just had a quick look through the sets on offer and have picked out three that caught our eye:

LEGO City Airport: RRP £81.99 – Offer Price: £62.99

LEGO Games Harry Potter Hogwarts RRP: £24.99 – Offer Price: £15.49

LEGO Star Wars The Battle of Naboo RRP: £25.99 – Offer Price: £20.67

This offer ends on the 18th of December and is subject to availability.

Click here to view the offer

Choosing which is the better product between LeapFrog’s LeapPad Explorer and VTech’s InnoTab is an almost impossible task. Both share many of the same features, have 5″ screens, cost the same, and have received positive reviews from buyers on the likes of amazon.co.uk.

So how do you decide which one to buy? We think the best way is to look at the key differences between the two:

Camera – The LeapPad has a built-in camera which can be used to take photos and record short videos. The InnoTab does not have a camera. However, if you have one of VTech’s Kidizoom cameras you can transfer photos and videos over to the InnoTab.

Storage – while the LeapPad has more built-in storage than the InnoTab (2GB vs 64MB), the InnoTab has an SD card slot, which means it can be expanded to a total of 8GB. Potentially you could even swap out different cards – for example, you could have one card for videos and another for music.

Music – surprisingly, only one of these tablets has an MP3 Player – the InnoTab.

Hopefully, by taking the points above on-board, and thinking about what each tablet will be used for, will help you to make a decision. Based on the extra storage capabilities, and the fact that it can play MP3s, we have a very slight preference for the VTech InnoTab, but whichever you choose we are confident both will be equally well received.

Compare prices for the InnoTab

Compare prices for the LeapPad

Good news for Moshi Monster fans! We have now added the Moshi Monsters Talking Diavlo Plush toy to our site! For those not in the know, Diavlo is a fiery little character who is a cross between a devil and a bat.

The talking plush range of Moshi Monsters, has proved to be incredibly popular this year – the Toy Retailers Association awarded them with a spot on their ‘Cool And Hot!’ 2011 Dream Toys list. Squeeze their tummies and they talk or laugh, each plush Moshi comes with an adoption certificate and an exclusive secret code which can be used to claim a free in-game item.

At the moment you can compare prices for Diavlo at eight different retailers, plus eBay, and the best deal at the time of writing is £12.50 at amazon.co.uk. As always, if we find more retailers stocking Diavlo we will add them to the price comparison table.

Compare prices for Diavlo

Amazon have today launched their 12 Days of Christmas Sale, which sees savings of up to 40% on selected toys and games. The sale includes toys from the following categories: active toys, arts & crafts, character toys, puzzles, science & exploration and vehicles. Click the banner above for more information.

The 12 Days of Christmas Sale ends on the 11th of December at 11.59pm.

If you bag a bargain let us know!

Click here to view the offer