Ok, so we can sort of understand why Nintendo are planning such a giveaway. 'Tempt gamers with Wavebirds and they'll buy our games' is probably the message doing the rounds at Nintendo's European HQ right now. Fair enough. But is such a scheme as good as it sounds?

VIP vouchers earn you stars and that's a fact. Redeem your Nintendo VIP vouchers by logging onto Nintendo Europe's online hub, located conveniently at Nintendo-Europe.com. Then register your GameCube identity and key in your console or voucher codes. Doing so will then give you points or 'stars' as Nintendo so fittingly call them.

4800 stars is the number you'll have to reach before becoming eligible for a Wavebird. Only 4800 'stars' is a number which is unlikely to be reached by the average GameCube owner - even those with mountains of games may only have a few paltry points if Nintendo titles haven't been snapped up.

However, if you purchase Mario Sunshine, Eternal Darkness and Starfox Adventures before 31st December you can earn an extra 750 points on top of those you're owed anyway. The Wavebird will become available in the Nintendo VIP Star Catalogue sometime next week. More 'real' gifts are promised in the near future.