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Anyone who’s over four years old and isn’t getting Playmobil’s Roman Arena (see top left photo) for Christmas is going to want to throw Santa Claus to the lions. Having taken Germany by storm in 2006, the Playmobil Romans are invading American shores just in time for the 2007 holidays.

The most fantastic of the Roman toys available is the extra-large Colosseum set (top, left). With a diameter of about three feet, the assembly-needed (but it’s easy) plastic arena comes with several tiers of seating, animal holding pens, trap doors, and its own marble statues! Gladiator figures are included and can be decked out in a variety of arms and armor (and you can buy extra gladiators if you want to throw an especially impressive set of games). There are fierce wild animals and cages in which to keep them, a two-horsed chariot, and a stately emperor and empress whose job it is to preside over the festivities.

Of course, any aficionado of ancient Roman culture knows that gladiatorial games were often thrown to celebrate such occasions as the winning of a war. Thus, kids are also going to be clamoring for other toys in the Playmobil Roman series so that they can stage their own ancient battle and practice the all-important skills needed to build an empire and rule the world.

Kids will be eager to take full charge of battle strategy from the Commander’s Tent (top right photo), sending a Warrior’s Ship (above, left) out to patrol the seas and ordering the troops to siege the enemy with a firing catapult (above, right).

A legion of Roman warriors – bearing a standard that reads SPQR – will aid in the efforts (above, left), while a battle tower (below, left) will certainly make it easier to march against fierce enemy troops.

And, to round out a day of ancient fun, it’s likely that every young Romanist will demand a four-horse chariot (above, right), for that’s the vehicle in which victorious Roman generals rode during the elaborate triumphal processions staged to celebrate their military successes, before donning civilian togs and heading to a seaside villa for a bit of honeyed wine.