It was the handheld plastic digital toy that was so addictive it was banned in some schools and now it’s back.

    Tamagotchi, the classic 1990s virtual pet game, has become the latest retro* gadget to make a comeback.

    Japanese toy maker Bandai has relaunched the tiny handheld game, featuring the six original pets. The cult game will keep its low-resolution* retro graphics but comes in newly created brightly-colored eggs in two sizes.

    Tamagotchi games were launched in 1996, with an incredible 80 million units sold worldwide by 2010.

    In the original game, there were over 35 characters to look after. They lived on a keychain device and had to be nurtured by the owner, from an egg to adult life. Owners had to give them medicine when they were ill and clean up after they’d been to the loo.

    The state of the creatures‘ happiness and hunger levels were indicated by meters, which had to be monitored frequently.

    The early versions didn’t have a pause option and owners had to press a button every 30 minutes to feed them, otherwise they would starve to death.

    In November 2013, Bandai launched a revamped version of the cult game called “Friends.” The handheld game closely resembled the original but featured new and more life-like characters.(SD-Agencies)