And according to the many, many retailers surveyed by our friends at Channel Games, it has been Microsoft and Nintendo keeping things ticking over nicely. While once again supermarkets and their pesky margin-slashing ways have proved to be this year’s pantomime villain, there’s plenty to be positive about.

We’ve seen the star-studded launch of PS3 and Halo 3, the continued success of Wii and DS (in terms of both hardware and software), not to mention in pure gaming terms a spectacular line-up of must-have titles. And all this festive cheer has rubbed off on retail – the vast majority feel that takings will be greater than last year and next year will be equally as prosperous.

If that’s not reason to raise a glass to 2007, I don’t know what is.