And a-here we go! Mario's definitely pumping up his white-gloved fists by now.

The Wii console has topped the Amazon (UK) charts for the most searched-for term during 2006. Heck, in just one week of the Christmas period, the Wii was searched for 300,000 times, bumping "Star Wars" and "iPod" off the "searched-for term" pipeline (considering the console was launched only on December 8 in Europe, that's a huge feat!).

The success even spills over to the DS as some of its titles have been able to sit comfortably on the top 10 selling items of last year. Right on top and reigning as king of the list is Brain Training, followed immediately by Lego Star Wars II and Sims 2: Pets.

Amazon reports how these numbers give us an insight of how consumers' buying habits have changed nowadays:

As systems such as the Nintendo Wii and DS expand the appeal of gaming beyond the traditionally perceived audience of teenage boys, sales of videogames on Amazon.co.uk are reflecting a real change in the types of games Brits want. 2006 saw top-selling violent games of the past, such as Grand Theft Auto and Medal of Honor, replaced by more family-friendly titles with broader appeal.

Fair enough. But how long would Nintendo reign supreme on the Amazon UK charts? Nintendo has barely begun their epic adventure with the Wii. Remember, this year alone (hoping, that is), we could see the likes of Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption hitting retail shelves. Keep it up, Nintendo!