Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure is a much better game than it has any right to be. I’ve seen people write off this experimental combination of toys and cross-platform gaming as a cheap cash-in attempt, but the experiment is wildly successful. The toys look great, the portal technology is interesting, and the games themselves are actually fun. Here’s how Skylanders works: you buy a starter set with three physical characters, a plastic “portal,” and the game itself. Plug the portal into your game console and whatever character you place on the portal surface is the one you play in the game. Buy a new toy in the store—32 are currently available—and you can play that character in the game. Each character stores all the information from the game, including items, cash, and multiplayer victories; you can use them all at a friend’s house just by bringing your characters along. It’s ingenious and addictive. (via Skylanders: a toy-based RPG for kids (that adults will love))