The sales are here! DS bargains not to be missed

If the January sales conjure up the sort of painful memories for you as they do some of us – ones of rainy early mornings standing in 200 people-long bus stop queues to join mobs of looter types in Next, fighting over half price jumpers and socks – you'll be pleased to hear it doesn't have to be like this.

If the internet has given us anything, besides limitless pornography and the ability for individual terrorist group cells to coordinate themselves, it's our dignity. It's meant we never again have to physically fight a crazed mother in GAME over that last '60% off' copy of Kingdom Hearts.

And today we can all celebrate this fact by heading over to Play.com, which has started its Christmas sale early, to snap up some bargains. Hurrah!

Of the DS games included in the price reduction bonanza, there are quite a few that we can wholeheartedly recommend. First, is Magical Starsign, a joy-inducing adventure for RPG fans that fancy a bargain at £17.99. Then there's Codemasters' Race Driver: Create & Race, which is still relatively recent and the best serious racing game available for DS, available here for a mere £14.99.

Brand spanking new game, The Golden Compass, is being sold for £19.99. It's a disappointingly average experience but we mention it because, at this reduced price point, fans of the books should get some enjoyment from it. There's also Ultimate Mortal Kombat, for something equally new but a little more violent (and considerably better), priced at £14.99.

Other good game offers, in our opinion, are Worms: Open Warfare 2, Ratatouille and Drawn To Life – all priced at £12.99, and Custom Robo Arena for £14.99.

As some smarmy presenter on a shopping channel might say: "Can you afford not to buy them at these prices?" Obviously the answer is yes, but if you want some bargain games to see you through a dreary January, we'd suggest some of these are worth checking out.