For parents, the holiday season begins with panic. What toy is hot? What does my kid really want? What are the other kids getting? Even if you aren’t the kind of parent who succumbs to marketing pressure, there are some toys a kid will beg, whine, and scream to get. This season, one of those toys is a videogame by the name of Skylanders Giants. A few years ago, another video game was top with tots. This former game was called Spyro’s Adventure. Spyro’s Adventure featured a loveable dragon called Spyro who was a big hit. Sadly, through many acquisitions, the developers behind Spyro called it quits.

Skylanders Giants picks up on the Spyro theme. But, this is more than a videogame. Skylanders Giants is being billed as a toy because the game actually needs toys to function (and a dock). Your kids will help the Giants of the Skylands fight in a battle to return to the Skylands (they were banished to Earth). This epic battle is one filled with plush-looking giants and plenty of fun. Did I mention that you need to buy the Skylanders dock and toys?

What You Will Need to Purchase

The minds behind Sklanders Giants have it all figured out. In order to play this game, you will need to purchase the Skylanders dock and a few plastic Giant figurines. Without these items, the Skylanders Giants game won’t work. You can buy a Skylanders Giants Starter Pack directly from the Skylanders website. With the Starter Pack, you will receive the Skylanders Giants video game; three Skylanders figures; the special dock; trading cards; a Skylanders poster; and other fun goodies. You don’t have to buy the Starter Pack, but it makes sense monetarily. The other option is to purchase the figurines separately along with the dock, and that will cost you more money.

Once your child has the game and a few figurines, you can purchase additional figure packs as time goes on. Or, you can just buy figures one-by-one. Why do you need the dock and figures at all? Well, that’s a very good question. Here’s the concise answer: the more figures you buy, the better gameplay will be. Further, you can’t use any of the characters central to Skylanders Giants if you don’t purchase a dock and some figures. Why? You have to connect the dock to a console (more on that below), and then attach the figurines. If you remove a figure from the console, that figure will exit the game. Similarly, figures can only enter the game if they are added to the dock. See how this works?

Platform Compatibility

It would be a shame to purchase the Skylanders Giants game and Starter Pack without making sure the game works on the console your child has. Currently, Skylanders Giants is compatible with Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and the PS3. Presumably, new platforms will be added to the lineup in the near future. So, where do you buy Skylanders Giants and how much will this cost you? The whole Starter Pack (game included) is currently on pre-sale through sites like Amazon for $74.99. Too much for a video game, you say? Keep in mind that you’ll get three figurines, the game, and a dock for less than $80. Also, you’ll keep your kid happy. Trust me, Skylanders Giants is going to be a huge hit, so pre-order now.