Matchbox: Cross Town Heroes

The hazards of playing with your toy cars in the garden are now a thing of the past.

No more getting your best Ferrari's wheels clogged up with dirt.

No more rusted paintwork because you left your favourite fire engine out overnight.

And no more needle-in-haystack searches through the sand pit for that long-lost police car, only to find that your mum's given it to Dr Barnado's.

You can now put all that heartache behind you because Matchbox Cross Town Heroes allows you to live out all your toy car adventures on your PC.

Taking command of a collection of popular Matchbox vehicles, including the Fire Crusher and the Rescue Net Police Car, players travel through interactive environments, searching for emergencies and completing missions.

The completion of emergency tasks subsequently rewards the player with hero awards, allowing them to unlock new vehicles and earn printable certificates of their heroic achievement.

Alternatively, players might prefer to take a more laid back approach and merely drive around at leisure, taking in the scenery, exploring the environment, and checking out the array of interesting bonus games, interactive characters and fun activities.

Every time a new world is visited, the location of everything is different, making for a new adventure each time.

By no means targeted at the 20+ demographic - unless we're talking about dedicated Matchbox fanatics - this game is merely a fun little exercise for kids.

With winter upon us, it should provide a warmer alternative to playing with toy cars in the garden.