What is Skylanders?

There was another thread that talked about Skylanders.  There is no monthly fee, but your kids will be asking for all of the characters.  They run between 8.99 and 14.99 here.  My soon to be 10 year old loves them!!  Great to play on the Wii with friends.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=467348&posts=20&start=1

Skylanders (v) 1. adventure game for kids 7-10 yrs old. 2. money pit for parents buying charaters to play the game.  3. Best investment for parents wanting 2-3+ hours of peace and relative quiet each day.

My boys love the game.  Now wanting the new Giants one.  They are already planning on telling our elf on a shelf. 

Each character has an element (fire, water, etc).  There are 6 elements.  You can beat the entire main story of the games with just a single character.  But there are areas in each level that will only be accessible to a character of a certain element.  So to be able to get to everything in the game, you'll need at least 6 characters.  

My kids (4 & 6) love this game.  The older one can solve most puzzles/levels without help.  There's no blood or bad language, and nobody dies.  Enemies will just disappear and skylanders will need to "rest" when they're out of health.