So, the kids want a video game . . .

For some parents, Christmas and Hanukkah can be more terrifying than Halloween -- and not because of the in-laws.

It’s because many kids expect to receive good video games, and their parents are often clueless when it comes to a medium that scarcely existed when they were growing up.

Game makers don’t make it easy. They release hundreds of new titles, at $50 to $60 a pop, into the market ahead of the holidays, like bats exploding into the night sky.

For those of you who don’t know the difference between a D-pad and a DS (one is a button on a game controller, the other a hand-held console), we’ve assembled a few easy tools to help parents get in the game fast.

Step 1: Take your time.

If you find yourself facing a wall of games at Target or Wal-Mart, slowly back up and walk out of the store. Don’t buy the first game the clerk recommends. Most likely, it’s what he or she would like to play -- not necessarily what your kid would like.

Step 2: Hit some game review sites to get a preliminary list of games.

Gamespot.com, for example, reviews most major games that have been released. For upcoming games that are buzz-worthy, the site puts together sneak peeks and early game trailers. You can look up games by their titles, platforms and genres. At the bottom of the home page is a Most Popular feature, where readers can see what titles are generating the most excitement.

Want a shortcut? Gamespot has a holiday gift guide you can find on the home page. Other sites worth checking include 1Up and G4 TV.

Another popular place for parents is Amazon.com. That’s where Mary Ann Masarech went this year to do her research. The 48-year-old mother of two decided against one game that her daughters had requested because players had found it too boring, but went with another based on the positive user reviews.

“The problem with the reviews is that you have to read between the lines to see who’s writing them,” said Masarech, a management consultant from Fairfield, Conn. “Are they hard-core gamers who would be dissatisfied with a game that would make my kids happy, for instance?”

Step 3: Make sure the games you pick in the first round are fun.

Once you have a list of candidates, you’ll want to make sure the games don’t turn into very expensive drink coasters. There are dozens of sites that review games for their fun factor. Instead of visiting them all, hit Metacritic. The site aggregates each game’s scores into an average, like Rotten Tomatoes does for movies.

Step 4: Check the games’ ratings.

Now that you have a list of games that are sure to be a blast for your 8-year-old, how can you be sure those games won’t have nude scenes buried in the middle of Level 39 or images of body parts being ripped to shreds in high-definition glory?

Like movies, video games have their own set of age-appropriate ratings, including E for “everyone” and M for “mature.” They’re enforced by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, an industry-funded group. Its website has a guide on what the ratings mean and a tool that lets you look up the ratings for thousands of titles. The ratings also come with a handful of descriptions right on the box, such as “intense violence” and “blood and gore,” to help parents avoid games with material they don’t want their kids to see.

Step 5: Consult the experts.

If you find the ratings and descriptions too vague, head over to What They Play. The site reviews games from the parents’ perspective, giving detailed descriptions of sequences that parents would want to know about before they buy a game.

If you plan to make regular purchases throughout the year and not just during the holidays, Warren Buckleitner writes a well-regarded newsletter called Children’s Technology Review, which reviews not just games but gadgets, websites and educational software. An electronic subscription costs $30 a year.

No money for a subscription? Common Sense Media is a nonprofit group that reviews games and other entertainment for kids and families. The group, which has child psychologists and curriculum experts on staff, doesn’t police games so much as recommend titles that would be fun and appropriate for kids at various ages.

On the flip side, the National Institute on Media and Family, which takes a hard stance against violence in media, issues a “report card” that flags naughty bits.

Be wary of advocacy groups that peddle game guides. Before heeding them, check out the groups’ political or religious philosophies to make sure they mesh with your own.

Although it’s good to know that some games come with the seal of approval from parent organizations, you need to know that they’re fun too. (See Step 2.)

“My girls tell me to stay away from parenting site recommendations,” Masarech said. “They tend to be too focused on little kids and games that are educational but boring.”

Step 6: Watch your kid unwrap the goodies and dive into your carefully selected games with glee.

Who knows? Now that you’ve mastered the task of buying games, you may be ready to start playing them too.

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alex.pham@latimes.com