Videogaming's most successful giant floating head since Andross has gone on to shift 3 million copies of his game in the UK.

The success of the Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training series in Europe took everyone by surprise, including Nintendo. In the first two months alone, the first title went on to sell through 500,000 copies, with well over 17m copies sold worldwide so far.

The title still clings on the charts in the UK three years after it was released, with advertising campaigns from the mighty Patrick Stewart and Nicole Kidman keeping sales of the titles chugging along. With the release of ELSPA GfK-ChartTrack's sales figures for the first half of 2009, it's clear to see that Dr. Kawashima's virtual brain gym still has legs in the market...

UK Games Top Ten for Individual Formats � First Half of 2009

1. Wii Fit (Wii)
2. Wii Play (Wii)
3. Mario Kart (Wii)
4. Professor Layton And The Curious Village (DS)
5. Killzone 2 (PS3)
6. Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360)
7. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training (DS)
8. The Sims 3 (PC)
9. Call Of Duty: World At War (Xbox 360)
10. Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (Wii)

Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training has broken the 3 million barrier this year, making Nintendo's smash-hit casual title the most popular and best-selling game ever released in the UK, according to ELSPA.

"These figures are clear evidence that gaming is now mainstream in the UK," said ELSPA director general Michael Rawlinson about the news which will have the guys at Nintendo of Europe diving into mounds of gold drubloons like Scrooge McDuck. "The demographic has changed, so it's time we did away with the misperception that videogames are merely the preserve of teenage boys shooting zombies. Innovation in the industry means the social and educational benefits of gaming are now enjoyed by players of both sexes and of all ages."

The first three titles, all from Nintendo, have also sold through 1.65m copies so far in 2009, with Professor Layton's first adventure and Mario and Sonic's Olympic partnership both also putting in smashing sales performances, finishing at 4th and 10th in the charts.