With every turn, the Skylanders series comes up with more impressive ways to prise apart the willing parent's wallet.

Last year's Swap Force enabled the player to pull characters apart and make new ones, but this time developers Toys for Bob have upped their game by several notches.

Not only do we have 16 new element leaders alongside 40 minions, there's a new 'unknown element' feature.

And traps to buy.

Each major villain defeated can be trapped, but only in one that matches its element. And Kaos has his own trap. And bloody expensive it is, too, if current online prices are anything to go by.

In addition, the in-game sectors previously unlocked by any elemental character now require an elemental Trap Master, so completing the game 100% requires significant wads of cash or disciplined, organised collecting within groups of friends.

Cynical? Perhaps. Retail genius? Most certainly.

The story is typical Skylanders fare but this time Kaos is facing a rival for his evil-doing in the shape of the Golden Queen. She is among a host of villains unleashed on the land after Kaos springs a prison break, and it's these nasties who need rounding up and trapping.

The new portal is a spiffing wee jobbie with a transparent base and built-in speaker from which the whingeing - and, after a time, eventual support - of imprisoned beasties spill forth.

And then, because you're quite the Trap Master, you can play as your incarcerated villains, delivering their once-evil fisticuffs in an effort for good. The game comes with a cardboard rack in which you can keep a multitude of traps. Once again money speaks louder than sense, as you can only wedge one villain at a time into their little plastic prison. They don't miss a monetary trick, do the kids at Toys for Bob.

Skystones makes a revamped return after its absence from Swap Force, there are some new diverting games such as the Guitar Hero-influenced Skeletones and wads of little side missions that'll add hours to the generous story running time.

It's a rich kid's playground, though, particularly if that kid wants to demolish all facets of Trap Team.

Out on Wii, Wii U, 3DS, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4