Sonic the Hedgehog, the spiky-haired Sega mascot, has been voted the nation's favourite video game character.
The speedy blue hedgehog came out ahead of fierce rival Mario – the Italian plumber and face of Nintendo - in a poll of UK gamers.
In third place was Lara Croft, the pleasingly-proportioned Tomb Raider star who was brought to life by Angelina Jolie in film adaptations of the game.
Sonic, who was created by Sega in 1991 as a rival to Mario, is famous for his "spin attack" rolls, in which he curls up into a spiky ball to hurl himself at his enemies.
Since his first appearance in an eponymously-titled platform game for the Mega Drive console he has starred in dozens of games, including releases for the Playstation, Game Boy and Xbox.
Titles starring Sonic are now among the biggest sellers on the popular Nintendo Wii console.
His poll triumph over Mario may come as something as a surprise to gamers who see the Nintendo mascot as the more enduring character.
Super Mario Bros was voted the greatest computer game ever in a poll earlier this year, with the original Sonic the Hedgehog game trailing down in fifth.
Donkey Kong, Pac Man and Pikachu, the star of the Pokeman games, are among the popular characters who make today's top 10 list, compiled to mark the start of the London Games Festival this week.
Most popular video game characters
1) Sonic the Hedgehog (24 per cent)
2) Super Mario (21 per cent)
3) Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) (16 per cent)
4) Donkey Kong (11 per cent)
5) Pac Man (10 per cent)
6) Link (The Legend of Zelda) (5 per cent)
7) Max Payne (4 per cent)
8) Pikachu (Pokemon) (3 per cent)
9) Niko Belic (Grand Theft Auto series) (2 per cent)
10) Blanka (Street Fighter) (1 per cent)
Sonic FTW!
Ps when I was reading the article I also came accross this (thought it was funny;
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