Super Mario Galaxy leads the students' 2007 list, followed by Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock at number two. Rounding out the top five are Mass Effect, Rock Band and The Orange Box.

"Video games are huge sellers at holiday time," says Peter Raad, founder and executive director of The Guildhall. "Consumers need to pay attention to two main factors when purchasing video games for friends and family: what type of hardware is required and the ERSB Rating. Both can be found by carefully reading the labels of the video game."

Hardware indicates the platform on which the game runs: PC, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2 (PS2), PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation Portable (PSP), or Nintendo DS. The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) ratings have two parts: Rating symbols suggest age appropriateness, and content descriptors indicate elements in a game that may have triggered a particular rating or may be of interest or concern. Check both the rating symbol on the front of the box and the content descriptors on the back.

The students' complete Top 10 list:

1. Super Mario Galaxy
Platform: Wii
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

2. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Platform: Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

3. Mass Effect
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

4. Rock Band
Platform: Xbox 360, PS2, PS3
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

5. The Orange Box
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

6. Halo 3
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

7. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

8. Crysis
Platform: PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

9. BioShock
Platform: Xbox 360, PC
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

10. Madden NFL 08
Platform: Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox, PS3, PC
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)