by: Greg Purnell

Here are some of the main Xbox games kids will be playing and talking about this Christmas. A variety of styles and levels of difficulty are included. Any of these games can be enjoyed by old pro's or beginners.

1. Grand Theft Auto Double Pack

For the price of one game, you get both Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City together. Both GTA games give players some of the best racing and action gameplay available. This is an Xbox classic.

2. Need For Speed: Most Wanted

Take a unique, fast-paced ride in Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Build up your Rap Sheet to become the most wanted street racer. Drive head-to-head against top drivers while evading cops. A great racing Xbox game.

3. Halo: Combat Evolved

This game is story-driven, includes science fiction, and keeps the action level high. Halo has elaborate scenes as well as a ton of pure blasting action. This first-person shooter game is the standard by which all other first-person shooters are measured.

4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Knights of the Old Republic allows gamers to choose whether to walk the Dark or the Light side. This game mixes real-time and turn-based combat, and features tons of realistic dialogue of the Star Wars genre.

5. NBA Street V3

This is a fresh and challenging basketball game, featuring players from the fictional Street Legends team and real NBA players. The single-player game is rich but the multi-player game is even better, more complex and sophisticated.

6. Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge

This air combat game features tons of shooting action, a deep storyline, and online competition. The reward system provides a bunch of fresh airplanes opponents to add challenge.

7. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

If you or your child enjoy artistic style and texture, you'll find this game a beautiful achievement in animation, and a masterful blend of platform, action and adventure genres that players will enjoy.

8. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3

This shooter game holds many gamers into its addictive web and keeps them playing late into the night. With plenty of game maps and new ones still being released, there's still plenty to discover after the initial gametime.

9. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow

Players choose to be either Spies or Mercenaries. Each group comes with different moves, equipment, and objectives. The Spies play in third-person while the Mercenaries play from a realistic first-person view.

10. Project Gotham Racing 2

Provides amazing racing detail in various city streets where you can speed away in over 200 different cars. The scoring system allows drivers to earn points off slides, catching air, and passing opponents. Learn to drive cool.