With the constant barrage of ads for video games and game consoles, it’s sometimes easy to forget that there are a ton of other cool electronic toys that don’t have a screen at all. Here are a few of our favorites.

• Slot car sets. If you haven’t driven a slot car since you were about 10, you’re long overdue. Today’s cars are made with digital switches, meaning you can have more than two on a 2-lane track. Our set from Carrera (carrera- toys.com) accommodated up to six. With digital, the cars move from lane to lane at different switching points allowing for passing and intense action while speeding around the track. Expect to pay around $300 for a good set that includes two cars. But you and your kids will have so much fun that the purchase price isn’t all that bad.

• Pinball. When bowling became cool again a few years ago, it was only a matter of time before pinball followed. For about $500, you can pick up a vintage game that’s fun to play and makes a great piece of modern art. Games that might have lasted only a few years in a smoky bar (or bowling alley), can last a lifetime in your rec room.

• Remote-control helicopters. These have been on the market for five or six years and boy, has the technology evolved. New choppers, like the Military Thunder by Swann (swann.com/ helicopters), use multiple flexible rotors that make flying a breeze, right out of the box. The only downside that we can see is that you get only 5-10 minutes of flight time per charge.

• Lazer Stunt Chasers (lazer stuntchaser.com). A new — and unique — entry in the burgeoning remote-control toy market is the Lazer Stunt Chaser, which you can steer by pointing a laser beam where you want the car to go. The cars are two-sided so, with the included flip ramp, they’re up and moving whichever way they land. At a 1:32 scale, Stunt Chasers are a comfortable size. Unfortunately, at about $65, they’re a little pricey, but still a ton of fun.