Well balanced

MiP Robot - £79.99 from menkind.co.uk

This battery-operated balancing robot, controlled by hand gestures, will dance, follow a path, play games and generally show off its impressive array of tricks (the best by far being the ability to stay upright on two-wheels). The extra joy is putting the carry tray on, loading it up and marvelling as he happily wheels its wares. Control from an armchair over Bluetooth with either an iOS or Android app.

Impressive acrobatics

Parrot Jumping Sumo - £139.99 from firebox.com

This does what it says on the tin: it can leap up to 80cm in the air, using its powerful spring-loaded arm, then always land back on its circular feet. On-board is a camera that can stream live footage of your antics back to your smartphone. Built to play hard, the Jumping Sumo is just at ease in the great outdoors as it is inside.

Slot racing updated

ANKI Drive - £149.99 from currys.co.uk

Roll out the race track, synch your mobile to one of the cars, set the other into artificial intelligence mode (or to another smart device-toting person) - and you're off. This incredible piece of kit allows up to four cars to compete, but this race is not just about speed, each car is equipped with multiple weapons to take out the opposition. It's like a video game that's just burst out of your TV screen.

Fast track

Sphero Ollie - £79.99, firebox.com

Don't be deceived by Ollie's diminutive size - at full throttle, it reaches a blur-producing 14mph and spins, flips and drifts, all controlled by you. Glowing LEDs mean you can continue into the night playing some of the superb app-powered games within your new polycarbonate friend.

Track time

Scalextric 1:32 Scale C1329 ARC One - £54.99, amazon.co.uk

With the free ARC app loaded onto your device, it'll host races for you as you chase the cars around the five-metre track with your trigger control. Select any number of race styles including practice, qualifying, Grand Prix and it'll count laps, give you speed information and send you into the pits when your engine or tyres need attention.

Pieced together

Ravensburger Finding Nemo Augmented Puzzle - £8.99, amazon.co.uk

Once the 100 pieces are all in place, hover your device over the completed puzzle and activate one of three interactive games that bring the jigsaw to life. The games won't cause too much of a challenge to the grey matter, but they are visually superb.

App of the week

Buddhify - £1.99 from iTunes and Google Play

We could all do with chilling out a little more often and this is a rather decent app that'll help you get into the zone. Created by experts, there are more than 80 types of meditation inside this app, reducing stress and helping you sleep better.

Top 10 Bestselling Kindle Apps

1. Minecraft by Mojang

2. The Chase by Barnstorm Games

3. Tipping Point by Barnstorm Games

4. Blockbusters - Official Gameshow by Pretty Mobile

5. Scribblenauts Remix by Warner Brothers

6. Birds of Britain by Clevermix

7. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 by Scott Cawthon

8. Plauge Inc. by Miniclip.com

9. Pointless Quiz by Endlemol Games

10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City by Rockstar Games

Top 10 Free Kindle Apps

1. Crossy Road by Hipster Whale

2. FIFA 15 Ultimate Team by Electronic Arts

3. TouchUp Pro - Photo Editor by esDot Development

4. Spellfall - Puzzle Adventure by Backflip Studios

5. Farm Heroes Saga by King

6. Barbie Fashion Design Maker by Mattel

7. Solitaire TriPeaks by GSN by GSN

8. BBC iPlayer by Media Applications Technologies Ltd

9. Candy Crush Saga by King

10. Subway Surfers by Kiloo

(Courtesy of Amazon.co.uk)