was inevitable that the world would soon be victim to another of those fads that seem to leap oceans and sweep from continent to continent like highly contagious plagues.

The answer to local toy and trading card shop owners' dreams came this summer in the form of Pokemon, a craze of epic proportions which appears to have gripped children and adults alike with a ravenous craving for cards and merchandise.

The Pokemon phenomenon, which sprang from a Japanese cartoon now airing daily on cable, consists of 150 monster characters, each with their own individual personalities and characteristics.

Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Charizard and friends can be found on almost any kind of merchandise, including key rings, books, video games and figurines.

Of course the massive appeal of a Pokemon comes from trading cards which have way surpassed their baseball counterparts in popularity and have hordes of youngsters piling into shops every day after school so they can buy the latest packages and swap them with friends.

In an informal poll, youngsters revealed what it was that gave Pokemon that magical magnetism.

Nine-year-old Renika Anderson said: "I like them because of the characters.

You can trade them and sometimes you can get money for them.'' She and her friend, nine-year-old Stefan Dill, agreed that they both liked watching the cartoon as well.

Sidaine Mayho, 15, said: "I like the show because its got lots of battles in it. It's just fun because you can trade the cards with your friends.'' The feedback, however, did not make it any easier to really understand the Pokemon craze.

It seems the only people who can truly grasp the concept are the fanatics themselves, whether they be five or 35, or those that deal with them on a regular basis.

Someone who does understand it is manager of The Annex, and father of one, Tom Nelmes.

"I watch the cartoon with my son every night,'' he said. "Sometimes he comes to me and asks me to draw one of the characters. I don't know, I guess you've just gotta have something of a kid about you to really appreciate them.'' As a toy store manager, Mr. Nelmes comes into contact with a lot of parents in similar positions.

"I get a lot of them coming up to the counter and saying that their kids want this or that and it's obvious that they're completely baffled by the whole thing.'' The manager described some of the Pokemon merchandise that is sold at The Annex, including boxer shorts, hats, comic books, stationery, story books and, of course, trading cards.

"The cards are in short supply and we go in and out of stock all the time,'' he said.

Mr. Nelmes explained that this fad was similar to past ones that had come and gone.

"They're like Beanie Babies in that they're unique and collectible,'' he explained. "The demand for them is just dying off now of course and Pokemon is the only thing that's shown any bright spark all year in replacing them.'' The need to have every single one of the characters is apparently strengthened by cunning marketing strategies.

The theme song for the cartoon is entitled "Gotta Catch 'Em All'' and that, so it seems, is just what kids are making every effort to do.

Mr. Nelmes said he felt the appeal of Pokemon was heightened by "the fact that they are collectible, that you can learn about the characters and get to know them''.

"They're totally fresh and original,'' he said.

Another observer of the Pokemon phenomenon is owner and manager of A&J Sportscards Joan Hollis.

Although her store is packed with kids asking for cards every day after school, she admitted to not being able to understand the huge demand.

But Ms Hollis said she was aware of an "underworld'' which many people, especially the kids were not aware of.

She described how she bought a pack of cards the other day only to discover that they were fake.

"That scared me because it means these kids are in danger of getting ripped off,'' she said.

Ms Hollis opened up a catalogue, which she calls the "Pokemon Bible'', and pointed to packs of cards being advertised with price tags that went as high as $75.

"What I'm afraid of is the idea that older kids could take advantage of the younger ones so they can get hold of these valuable cards,'' she said.

"That's why I try to educate the children that come in here about how to recognise cards that are valuable and those that aren't.'' Inevitably, Pokemon has found its way into Bermuda's schoolyards.

Of course, that does not mean to say that it has to be accepted.

Headmaster of Warwick Academy Robert Lennox said: "I don't know what they are, but unless someone's been sneaking them in, they don't exist at this school.'' "The kids come here to work and I'm going to make sure that they're not distracted by this sort of thing,'' he said.

Saltus Junior School headteacher Christine DeSilva took a slightly different view to the Pokemon phenomenon.

"We haven't banned the cards here,'' she said. "But they (students) are under warning. We've had two incidents involving stolen cards already and they know if it happens again, they won't be allowed here.

"I think the kids know that its `just a fad' and if they don't play with them at inappropriate times, I don't see why they shouldn't be able to play and trade Pokemon cards.''