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The most popular games to give and get this year for children, teens and young adults

In 2006, CNET announced the results of the "Gift Guide" survey conducted on GameSpot , the company's award-winning Web site offering gaming news, reviews, and exclusive content to nearly 4 million gamers each month. The survey results (detailed below) reveal the most popular games to give and get this year for people in three age groups - children, teens and young adults - providing parents valuable insight into the coolest and most appropriate gifts for gaming enthusiasts.

"There is a lot of debate right now about the appropriateness of violent game content for kids, and many parents are looking for games that aren't full of violence, but are still fun and challenging," said Greg Kasavin, executive editor at GameSpot. "Our survey reveals that gamers today favor the solid selection of non-violent games for children and teens, with more controversial titles emerging only in the 'young adult' - or over 20 - category."

According to the survey, Mario Party 4, part of the Mario Party series from Nintendo, is the most recommended game for "'tweens", or kids between 10 and 15 years old. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, the latest addition to the pro-skater's stunt skateboarding series, is the number-one choice for teens 15 and older. In the young adult category, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the new addition to the popular action adventures series for serious gamers, is the top pick. The survey, which polled more than 700 gamers randomly sampled from the GameSpot site, asked respondents to choose from a list of today's most popular games, as determined by GameSpot product information requests.

The top five games in each age category are as follows:

Recommendations for 10 years and older: Mario Party 4 (64%); Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (52%); Super Monkey Ball 2* (40%); Kingdom Hearts (27%); and Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (17%).

Recommendations for 15 years and older: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4* (52%); Metroid Prime* (36%); Madden NFL 2003* (27%); Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers (24%); and NBA 2K3 (24%).

Recommendations for 20 years and older: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City* (67%); Resident Evil Zero (29%); Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (29%); Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (28%); and Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (27%).

The top picks included games that are available on a range of next-generation video game systems (i.e. Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Xbox).

Furthermore, 58 percent of survey respondents said they would consider purchasing a new game system in the next 12 months if it was required to play a specific game, illustrating that a single blockbuster game title can drive platform sales.

"At GameSpot, we value our users' recommendations, and we are always interested in the games they would recommend to their family and friends," said Kasavin. "The GameSpot audience represents the most avid and knowledgeable gamers in the world - their loyalty can make or break a game."

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