ELSPA has released figures showing that the British videogames industry rose to new heights in 2006 with a 7% increase in the number of games sold.

With sales of 65.1 million units, it brought in a whopping all-formats total of £1.36 billion, another new record, and an increase of 1% over the figure for 2005.

Top console games sales went to PS2, followed by Xbox 360, Xbox, Wii and GameCube. PC titles did well too, with software sales up 7%, making 2006 the platform's "best year ever".

Things were on the up for handhelds too. DS and PlayStation Portable software sales were just behind those for PS2, with Nintendo's machine just trumping the PSP.

The best-selling game of the year was FIFA '07, one of four EA titles in the top ten, with Konami, Rockstar and Edios following.

"We are thrilled to see the industry growing and software sales continuing to rise", said ELSPA director general Paul Jackson.

"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."

>> Read - Elspa sites record year for games and software in 2004