Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper has a couple of firsts to keep your girls enchanted. Not only does Barbie do the animated version of Hayley Mills in Parent Trap - and Nicolas Cage in Adaptation - by playing two characters (no need for split-screen technology here), she also makes her musical debut (and does it a whole lot better than Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge).

The story centres on Princess Annaliese and a peasant girl named Erica, born at the same time and strikingly similar in appearance. They meet by chance. Later, Erica is called on when ... well, I won't give it away, other than to say that the story includes all the elements that make it a worthwhile watch: duty, responsibility, compassion, free will - and, of course, a love interest.

My five-year-old loved it, and I loved watching her love it. The animated 'outtakes' that run with the credits at the end of the movie are particularly amusing.

The DVD has a number of extra features, such as an interactive soundtrack and a Spanish soundtrack, a sing-along with Barbie activity, and a preview of her next feature, Fairytopia. The DVD feature comes with a music CD featuring seven original songs from the movie, which makes it reasonably good value.

The cheaper VCD version is at present only available dubbed into Cantonese.

Verdict: Fairy good show, Barbie