Dames with guns Doctors with time-machines…read more& Super-heroes with special powers You guessed it, we're talking about the weird and wonderful world of comics and graphic novels. If you're a collector or a fan, chances are you already know the staff at Forbidden Planet by name. If you don't, go and check the shop out. We're talking aisles of comics and graphic novels from manga and anime to The Iron Man and Cat Woman. They also have oodles of awesome toys, collectibles, tee-shirts, posters and gadgets including Dr Who figurines and Sonic screwdrivers.

Forbidden Planet is a geeks paradise. It stocks lots of cult items such as comics, graphic novels,…read moreposters, t-shirts, models, figurines, books, memorabilia and much more. The shop is small but well organised into clear sections. It is kept clean and tidy and is bright and airy. The staff, although a little patronising like many true geeks are, are helpful and knowledgeable about their stock. If you want something they don't stock they will order it in specially for you at no extra cost. The items here are a bit expensive compared to some other similar shops, but they are of a good quality.

There are two World's Apart shops in Liverpool and contrary to the name they are actually quite…read moreclose together. This building in Lime street is a mess and needs a sympathetic refurb and clean. I was surprised to discover that actually this shop is part of a small chain. I visited the shop for the first time this week. It's full of comics and toys you simply can't get elsewhere - not that I have tried. So many of the toy figures I could not recognise although I did spot some of the original Dr Who figures and some from Final Fantasy. Forget Toys R Us, this place is a wealth of badges, stickers, games and oddness for kids, adults and fans of things I've never even heard of.

Like its geeky counterpart, Forbidden Planet on Bold, World's Apart deals in all things cult. Cult…read moreis often a term used to describe things that have a strong, devoted core audience - or for studio executives something with low viewing figures. But no more, the popularity if this store can be seen on Saturday afternoons as children and adults alike fill the store and rummage through the amazing collections of limited edition, imported and new toys, comics, books, graphic novels, DVDs, posters and clothing for every genre and range of sci-fi, horror and anime franchise.

WH Smith has a massive range of magazines for all interests. If you have a hobby you are guaranteed…read moreto find a magazine dedicated to it. There are so many different types of magazines and newspapers on sale, far too many to list. A bit further back on the ground floor they have a huge book section. They have loads of different books available at excellent prices with special offers often advertised. The staff will order a book for you if it is not in stock at no extra cost. Downstairs they have a wide selection of board games, Cd's, DVD'S electronics and stationary. The staff are friendly and helpful. This is an excellent store. It can get very busy and the queue for the tills can be very long but its worth it.

A pretty good store, very large and spread over 3 floors. I usually tend to just browse on the one…read morefloor which is where you enter. They have a very good selection of products although it's not the easiest place to browse around. It can be quite hard to find what you want if you are looking for something specific. There's an excellent magazine selection including some American editions. There are lots of nice greetings cards available as well although they do tend to be quite pricey. Staff in this store are quite helpful and friendly, nothing remarkable but pretty good.

This place will take you back to your childhood…read more Toycraft is an exquisite toy shop, nestling in the middle of Chester. It's definitely a more upmarket toy shop than, say, Toys R Us -- the toys are 'top of the range' (many are made of high-quality wood) and are priced accordingly. ...well, this is Chester, after all! Quite a few of the toys seem to be original (at least, I've not seen them on sale anywhere else), and there is plenty to amuse and entertain youngsters of all ages. The staff are friendly and helpful, and shopping (or just browsing) there is a real pleasure. The only slight drawback is that it's in the middle of Chester and access for drivers is not especially easy. Because of the quaint old nature of Chester, the shop is not the easiest to get into if you've got a buggy (if I recall correctly there are some steps right by a narrow-ish entrance, with a sharp turn immediately you go in) -- and this is the only reason why it gets four stars rather than five. But if you can get there, and if you can get in, I doubt you'll regret it!

We visited Toycraft Chester on Fri 3 May 13. Staff were very friendly and helpful which made…read moreshopping a pleasure. It is an excellent toy shop right in the middle of Chester. Toys are arranged in very good display cases and viewing/buying is made very easy. We did buy a number of items and were impresses with the service and the packing used. Over all I would recommend a visit.

WHSmith often gets very crowded, and it's one of those stores that's hard to stay in for long. That…read moresaid, they usually have a great range of products. Downstairs, there's a spacious section with DVDs, crafting supplies, art materials, and more. The service is pretty good. The items are pretty expensive in WHSmith. 64/100

My local branches of Smiths are typical of the decline of the company but I quite like the branch…read morein Chester. It's bigger, with more choice and even has an in-house Costa coffee shop and a glass sided lift to get from floor to floor if you find the stairs too much of an effort. The 'basement' floor has a clearance section where there's quite a lot of rubbish but the odd genuine bargain mixed in if you're prepared to have a dig.

This book shop has some really great bargains, the only down side is that it rarely has new…read morereleases but I guess that's why they are bargains. Not only does it sell books but also it has a wide range of stationary and some crafty things also. Hard backs and paperbacks, I've bought many of their deals where you can get 3 paperbacks for five pounds. The shop is a bit cramped so if you're looking for something in particular you can feel as though you are getting in the way. Stick with it though and grab your self some bargains. Think it's changed it's name now to THE WORKS

This book shop is a real bargain shop.They not only stock books but crafts and dvds and games all…read moreat discount prices.It is quite small and if there are a lot of people in there it can be difficult to look at things.They also have named pens and outdoor toys for kids.I picked up a few bargains here including books for kids.

Hawkins Bazaar has a huge range of quite peculiar little gifts and toys…read more Some parts of the stock are more expensive, for example the electrical gadgets, but there is also a section that is almost like a sweet pick n mix section of cheap 29p+ toys and gadgets. There is also a book section which has some great 'random' books that always make good talking points or presents. The chester branch of hawkins bazaar doesnt seem very big, but does make good use of its space, and is very centrally located in Chester being just on the crossroads.

This place has some really bizzare stuff in here!! It's one of those shops where i find the stuff…read morereally intreguing! the staff are really friendly here and the items are well worth a price. I'd say it was well worth a visit because some of the items you'd find are really quite unique - a great place to get presents from

I could swear that as a child there seemed to be a toy store on nearly every corner of your local…read morehigh street, at least in the city centre you couldn't walk for toy shops. Of course I am starting to think that this may all be a trick of the mind and at 5 or 6 years of age ones priorities left me somewhat blinkered to anything else around but said stores! Today though there is a definte lack of toy shops. Even in the big department stores there seems to be a smaller range of toys, with small shop space given over to electronic games. Toys R Us as we all know is a toy megastore, something which had me torn between the thought of how great it would have been as a kid to have such a massive aladdins cave to search through and the slightly sad idea of bringing the kids to basically Tesco Toys Megastore. I soon forgot such rubbish when I was confronted by tons of toys including Star Wars figures and there I was 5 years old again and genuinely excited when I saw reissue Empire Strikes Back and Return of The Jedi figures by the original Kenner manufacturer! Oh, nostalgia, it aint what it used to be.

I love going to toys r us its such a magical place when you go in and see all the toys, it reminds…read moreme of being a kid and i still get excited. It is always well stocked and has lots of choice. The store is well laid out and includes a babies r us where you can purchase pushchairs,cots ect for a newborn not just a toy store.The facilities are amazing tho, they have public toilets and several baby changing area so you safe to browse with the kids without worring about changing or taking your tot home to go the loo.