A GAME of mind-boggling complexity featuring monsters, traps and spells has swept the nation's playgrounds this year.

And Yu-Gi-Oh!'s difficulty to master could be the answer to parents' worries about how to occupy the youngsters during the summer holidays.

The game has cult status among clued-up kids since the it spun off a Japanese cartoon of the same name a couple of years ago.

Not wanting to let a bandwagon pass, I went along to a specially organised duelling session at Woolworths on Worcester's High Street to see what the fuss was about.

The youngsters - all boys - stood round tables watching the card battles -this is not merely a game - commence.

Most came armed with handfuls of frayed cards swapped, collected and won from past bouts in the playground.

Each card features a striking cartoon figure, a rundown of their vital attack and defence capabilities, and a command telling the player when and where the card can be deployed on the all-important 'duelling mat'.

When a winner triumphed he took his league card to an official who stamped it. Prizes include super-rare cards and power cards to turn other players green with envy.

I was pitted against Cameron Styles, aged nine, and before the game started, I knew I was no match. I was beaten in about three rounds.

I blamed my poor performance on an almost complete ignorance of the rules.

In defeat, I asked Zak Allsop aged six, from Wych Road, Droitwich, how long it took him to master the game.

"About two weeks. It's a good game and I've been playing yu-gis for about two years," he said.

"You can buy big packets and little packets and you try to build up your deck with good cards. I've got two Blue Eyes and I need a third," he told me earnestly.

"Some cards are more powerful than others - things like the Sky Dragon and Obelisk Tormentor are really good. I've got a friend who has got a Ring Dragon."

I was impressed.

Zak, six, told me the card game morphed out of a Nickelodeon cartoon of the same name.

Yu-Gi-Oh!'s insane complexity has brought a whole new dimension to the phrase 'child's play'.

Buying and collecting the cards is the essence of the games, and a popular cartoon and marketing campaign contribute to its success.

I may have completely missed the point, but the youngsters were engrossed.

The YU-Gi-Oh! Duelling Sessions run every Monday between 2.30pm and 4.30pm on Mondays throughout August at Woolworths in Worcester High Street.