IT IS a cyber version of the Soviet bread queues as anxious consumers scour the internet for this year's elusive Christmas must-have: the Wii games console.

Still smarting from last year's dearth of the gadget, savvy parents are copying City traders and using using real-time alerts such as www.wii-consoles.co.uk to locate and buy the prized toy.

Shops have long given up on trying to stock the Nintendo Wii and they are only available online. One website last week sold out 1200 consoles in 15 minutes.

Inevitably the hype, combined with a shortage, has led to profiteering as parents scramble for the toy, with some online stores offering packages with a number of games at more than £390.

Online auctioneer eBay has sellers asking more than £300 for a console that retails at £179.

"It is no secret that there has been an unprecedented demand for Nintendo Wii this Christmas," said a spokesman for Argos. "Argos will be receiving regular stock into the business each week between now and Christmas.

"It is likely demand will outstrip supply each week when new stock arrives and it will sell quickly. Our advice to customers is to buy early to avoid disappointment and, if unlucky, to keep checking each week via the internet as new stock arrives."

A request for a console at the Currys store in Edinburgh's Princes Street was met with laughter.

"No chance of anything before Christmas," said the assistant. "It's the fact they are as rare as hens' teeth that seems to drive demand. Their rarity is adding to their cachet."

The story is familiar to anyone who tried to buy the Wii last year. It went head-to-head with the more expensive Sony PlayStation 3, but it was the Nintendo product that sold out.

The Japanese computer giant, home to the top-selling DS handheld console and creator of the Super Mario games series, says it is working at full capacity churning out almost two million Wiis per month, yet still can't satiate worldwide demand.

The company's UK website and telephone hotline are in meltdown. "It has far exceeded our expectations in terms of sales and popularity," said a spokesman.

"We're shipping stock every week to retailers in the UK. Retailers know how many consoles they will be getting in the run-up to Christmas; we're being very transparent with them. There's no smoke and mirrors. We're constantly looking at ways to speed up deliveries."

Pestered parent Julie Dewar said: "I've been trying to get a Wii for my two daughters' Christmas for over a month now. The pressure is incredible and I'm very panicky about it.

"Some companies like Boots say they have some in stock but they don't, which gives false hope. I'm determined to get one, but then so are most people I know. When a company does get stock in, you have to buy in minutes or it's gone.

"If I don't get one this week I'm going to take some time off work and I may end up buying one from Amazon in Europe or Scandinavia and get a UK adaptor."

The most recent retailer to have stock available was the online outlet of Argos on Friday, but it too went into meltdown with the demand for this year's must-have gift.