STROLLING down the High Street in pursuit of the hottest Christmas buys for kids, I had to double-take when I saw fast food giant McDonald's latest gimmick.

I'd heard of shopping trolleys laden with plastic fruit, biscuits and tiny boxes of washing powder - but a McDonald's Fast Food Center, complete with burger sizzling sound effects?

Available at Woolworth's for £14.99, this miniature replica of your average Maccy D's kitchen allows kids to knock up a Big Mac, fries, and even whip up a McFlurry if they choose.

With childhood obesity rising to alarming levels, one word sprang to my mind - mmm!

Whatever your choice of present, however, the city's toy shops have become frenzied auditoriums over the past few weeks as Christmas shoppers fight to get their hands on the last Baby Annabell or coveted Beyblade for their little angels.

And why not?

As every parent knows, the look on a child's face when their wish list becomes a reality on Christmas morning is well worth the pain of queuing, trudging along with armfuls of carrier bags and, finally, the inevitable wrapping-up marathon.

According to Toy News, in addition to Beyblades and Baby Annabell, this year's must-haves include Bratz, Barbie Swan Lake, Badge It, Fimbles and LeapPad books from Leapfrog, a trend echoed in Worcester's High Street stores.

In fact, Badge It - a collection of funky badges which add a touch of zing to your schoolbag - sold out within days at CrownGate's Entertainer.

And 80s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been resurrected so well they have been hurtling off the store's shelves over the past few weeks, as have Batman and other comic book figures.

At Woolworth's, Bandai's Lil' Bratz dolls - the 'lil' girls with the big fashion sense' - and their beauty night kits, are a big hit with youngsters.

Baby Annabell and Vtech baby walkers have already sold out at the High Street store, while anything Lord of the Rings-based is disappearing rapidly into thin air.

However, with British kids still voting Woolworth's their top choice for toys, there is still plenty to choose from, including three for two on selected items.

It appears there's no stopping Beyblades (£5.99 at Woolworth's) with the second series of the TV show airing on Cartoon Network and Channel 5.

"One of the hottest items at the moment is the new R/C Launcher, which is flying off the shelves," said Hasbro's marketing director for boys' toys, Carol Evans.

"With a great line of new products in 2004, including the launch of Magna Core magnetic tops and metallic basic tops, Beyblades looks hot to continue strongly next year."

Littlewoods Extra recruited a panel of 20 five to 10-year-olds to find out which toys children wanted this year.

"While classic toys such as table tennis, remote-control cars and dolls dominated the top of the list, there is also a generation of wannabe pop stars waiting in the wings with their sights set firmly on the stage, with Pop Idol Karaoke (£89.99) proving a popular, topical choice," a spokesman said.

At Game in CrownGate, the PlayStation 2 is still its most popular product, at £139.99. The PlayStation 2 dance mat, a control pad which plugs into the console, costs £9.99, while Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter Quidditch games, are priced at £40.

For the younger child, you can't go wrong with Fisher Price's Dino Dance Barney, which spins 360 degrees and gets on down to a selection of tunes.

At Entertainer, the loveable dinosaur, which had my 16-month-old daughter Izzy twirling in the shop aisles, is now down from £30 to £15.

Fisher Price's soft huggable Fimbles are also down from £15 to £10, and for every MB game you buy, you get another half price.

A selection of toys from Mattel, Fisher Price and Matchbox are also on offer over the Christmas period.

At CrownGate's Early Learning Centre, wooden dolls' houses are selling like hot cakes and, until Christmas, are down from £40 to £32, with three-for-two on furnishings.

For £10, you can kit out a whole room in your child's new home.

Pirate ships are also extremely popular and are also down from £40 to £32.

It's three-for-two on selected own brand and Vtech toys at Mothercare, in CrownGate, where transport-based toys for those aged over a year are popular this Christmas, ranging from £10 to £12.

Again, from personal experience, the five-in-one Super Fabric Trekker is a winner with three to 36-month-olds.

Although a bit on the pricey side at £49.99, its transformation from a baby rocker with activity tray to dinky car with parent handle is worth the fun you'll have zipping through the streets.

Mothercare also sells Parenting magazine's Toy of the Year, the £45 Tiny Love Lights and Music 3-D activity gym for 0-10 month olds, complete with a spot of Mozart and a vibrating "jitter toy".