Slotting one of these 'R4' memory card-like devices into a Nintendo handheld console opens up to the gamer a world of pirated games downloadable from the Internet.

A recent police crackdown on the trade in these illegal gadgets has not dampened the demand for them.

Sales have simply moved from popular information technology haunt Sim Lim Square to more low-profile heartland game retailers, and prices have shot up.

When the police, working with video game industry watchdog Entertainment Software Association (ESA), raided seven stores in Sim Lim Square for allegedly peddling such devices in November, more than 200, going at about $40 each, were seized.

Insiders say the asking price has now gone past $100 - if you know where you can buy one under the table, that is.

Those convicted of selling these devices may be fined up to $20,000 or jailed up to two years, or both.

Besides going to heartland shops, some gamers have also resorted to buying these devices from online stores.

A 33-year-old female gamer who declined to be named said: 'I searched high and low for one, and had to pay $130 for it when I found it in a neighbourhood shop.'

She received a Nintendo handheld console as a Christmas gift and bought several original games, each costing between $40 and $60.

When she found out about the R4 device from online forums, she decided to download and play pirated games instead.

These gamers are a headache for game-console makers, which rely heavily on the sales of game titles for profits.

Like other consoles, Nintendo's handheld gizmos have anti-piracy software that prevent unauthorised games from being played on them.

But pirates have learnt to hack into this by slotting into their game consoles the R4 device and a memory card containing their pirated games.

The memory card is the same as the one used in cellphones and sold in electronics stores.

The R4's simplicity is what draws the pirates. Unlike other illegal modifications, there is no need to open up the game console or solder a chip.

Piracy, however, has hit honest game distributors and retailers hard.

One of them, New Era Entertainment, estimates that 90 per cent of Nintendo handheld users here are playing pirated games.

Takings from Nintendo handheld games are lower than titles from any other game console.

New Era sales director Leith Neo said this was because many gamers may have bought the piracy-enabling device as a package deal with a new Nintendo game console.

He said: 'Many people, including parents who buy the game console for their kids, don't even know this is illegal.'