Treat for the kids can cost a pretty penny

Now I'm not one for using those dreadful phrases 'in my day' or 'when I was young' because nothing dates you more.

But we do drift back (okay, quite a long way) faced with such massive changes in our lifestyles.

A very different society will always provide very different memories for our young people and as the world and life move on, that's how it has always been and to a point, should be.

However, you do just wonder, when faced with yet another screamingly modern video game for kids, set to be released next month.

Labelled (of course) as the latest 'must-have' new game, it contains some of the best-loved characters from Disney films which sounds perfect for a spot of post-school entertainment.

But is it?

The so called starter pack will cost you around £50, BUT that is only the beginning.

There are 17 more characters available for which you will pay a further £12 apiece, plus £4 for 'add-on packs', which it's claimed can improve the strength and speed of the game.

Is that so? Then why are these 'improvements' not built-in from the start which would be less expensive to buy and obviously, more efficient?

I think we know why, don't we? Add-ons mean money and company bank balances swell.

Computer owners all know from bitter experience that buying basic and adding on can cost a fortune. It's also a devious way of tying in owners of games, programmes and consoles to buying more than they signed up for.

In this case, it's reckoned that little kiddywinks just thrilled at being able to grow their Disney video family on screen, can knock up a parental bill of £250 before so much as a fairy wand has been waved.

The new set up comes from something called Disney Infinity. A suitable title as parents look down the wrong end of the telescope and see their (very limited) income disappearing. . . into infinity.

A treat for the kids maybe, but not for their parents.