Yesterday Cartoon Network announced that a new a Ben 10 action-adventure animated series is planned for 2009-2010.

Ben 10: Evolutions (its working title) will be an all-new animated series following 16-year-old Ben Tennyson as his secret identity has been revealed to the world and he’s now an international mega-star super hero, loved by kids the world over but distrusted by many adults. Armed with a mysterious new Omnitrix, Ben will see action in places he’s never been.

These Ben 10 Alien Force 15cm (6 inch) DNA Action Figures are realistic, robust and well detailed but come with a unique battle feature that sets them apart from their smaller counterparts. These features, whilst cool, crank up the price somewhat and probably offer more short term interest than lasting fun. The toy then reverts to being good for imaginative play. On the downsides some of these toys can come apart quite easily and the parts are hard to move. For your money you are probably better off getting a larger collection of the 10cm figures.

These figures are great for children to ‘mix things up’. They encourage imagination as each alien they make is a new creation. They offer that bit more than your standard action figures as they are need interactivity. They do though still allow the usual role play fun with the ‘creations’ once made. They are perfect for children who are creative but are not limited to one-time creativity as they can be pulled apart and a whole new alien be made.

This new Ben 10 “beat-em-up” game has all the upsides of the last one, Ben 10: Protector of Earth – it is fun and fairly easy to play, it encourages children to solve problems based on the individual abilities of each character, there is great sound, a good story line and something new in each level to keep children excited. Another great feature is that when Ben 10 “runs out of life” he starts again from where he left off so you do not have to go back to the beginning to start again. It also answers one of the criticisms of the last game in that it has more playable characters.

“Ben 10: Alien Swarm” will be the new live action film based on the Ben 10 Alien Force cartoon. It has just started being filmed and will air on Cartoon Network this autumn. It follows the success of the first live action film “Ben 10: Race Against Time” from 2007. The plot is set within the new Alien Force world where Ben is now 15 years old. Ben, Gwen and their sometimes friend, sometimes enemy Kevin, find themselves facing yet another intergalactic threat to save the planet from aliens. A long time friend of Ben’s, Elena, needs help to find her missing father and of course the teenager is more than happy to “hero” up.

There has been much acclaim for the Ben 10 brand this month. According to NPD, the market research company, Ben 10 10cm Action Figures were the “Best Selling Toy of 2008″. The 15cm Action Figure range and the Omnitrix F/X Watch also featured in the top 10. The Ben 10 10cm and 15cm Action Figures were also the WINNERS of the “2009 Toy Of The Year” with Ben 10 also scooping the “Boys’ Range Of The Year”. These awards back up Bandai America’s recent press release where they claim their “Ben 10 Alien Force toy line is a top-selling mega brand”. Barnaby Dawe, VP of marketing and communications at Turner Broadcasting could not have been wrong when he commented: “Ben 10 is without doubt the hottest boys’ brand of the moment”.

At last a Ben 10 Comic has hit the newsagents. It was supposed to come out last month but was hard to find in stores. Finally my Ben 10 fan got his copy and was very pleased with all the bits and bobs that came with it. He especially liked the cards although we’ll have to collect a few more sets before we can play the game properly. This first comic was half price at £1.50 but subsequent issues will be £2.99. The comic itself is good quality and 24 pages long.

My 7 year old son had been waiting for yesterday for ages. As soon as Ben 10 Alien Force was advertised as “Coming Soon” on Cartoon Network, he had me write it on the calendar so we wouldn’t forget to watch it! So we got to watch the first two episodes and he wasn’t disappointed. The first bit, setting the scene, where Ben didn’t have his new Omnitrix yet, didn’t do much for him, but when he started transforming he was over the moon. We got to see Swampfire, Echo Echo and Humungousaur – the latter being his favourite. He used to like Four Arms and I think this new huge beast that sounds like a dinosaur (another love of his) caught his imagination. He can’t wait for the next episodes.

As with the original 10 cm Action Figures, for only £5 (RRP) you get a well made, poseable figure complete with an alien information card. But also each Alien Force figure includes a mini translucent alien figure to attach to your child’s Ultimate Omnitrix. Combined with the Omnitrix these mini figures reveal the alien’s voice and name, so it is like getting two toys in one box.

We were really hoping that this Ultimate Omnitrix from the new Ben 10 Alien Force range was going to rock our childrens’ worlds. It will no doubt be a must have for any Ben 10 fan addicted to role play fun but it’s not quite as good as we’d hoped. The accuracy to the watch in the new show is fantastic. You attach the mini translucent alien figures to the top of the watch to activate each alien. This reveals the alien’s voice and name, like on the show, and is super cool.