UK, January 11, 2007 - If all the pound coins spent on videogames in 2006 were stacked end on end they'd probably reach Mars. That's because last year was one of the biggest periods for software sales in history, as games continue their quest to dominate the UK entertainment industry.

Thanks to your insatiable appetite, 65.1 million titles flew off shelves and into disc drives (or slots for DS and GBA), according to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA). These record sales equated to a whopping £1.36 billion. Using our incredible mathematical powers, this undoubtedly means around 20 pee was spent on a videogame every nanosecond during 2006 (feel free to insert your own, more accurate figure, as you see fit).

Sony's PS2 was the console platform with the largest number of software sales, followed by the Xbox 360, the Xbox, Wii and GameCube respectively. In the handheld market, software for Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP came in just behind that of PS2, with the DS slightly outdoing the PSP. Meanwhile in PC Land, software sales increased by 7% compared to last year.

Paul Jackson, director general of ELSPA, said: "We are thrilled to see the industry growing and software sales continuing to rise. With the new generation consoles and new handhelds there are some amazing titles out there and consumers are continuing to enjoy them. There are new and exciting games available and more and more family orientated and mentally stimulating titles to grasp and hold the interest of all ages. This is also a testament to the industry and it will continue to gain momentum."

With the PS3 and Wii likely to gain significant momentum this year, 2007 could be even bigger. Who knows, maybe next year the pound tower might even reach Saturn?