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The shelves: Empty.

The store demos: Unplayable.

That's how it goes for Albuquerque gamers looking to buy a Nintendo Wii, the hot new video game system released in November.

Nearly four months later, getting one is still a bit like playing whack-a-mole.

A batch of six appears at Target. They sell out in an hour.

Six more arrive at Wal-Mart. They sell out in an hour.

Occasionally, somebody like Victor Arriola hears that whack! sound and realizes he's won the big prize.

"We went to Sam's Club in El Paso, and they actually had a good supply, so we bought one," Arriola said Thursday afternoon, browsing for games with his three sons at GameStop at 9311 Coors Blvd. N.W.

"We tried Wal-Mart before, but every time we tried they said they'd get no more than a half dozen in, and they'd sell out instantly," he said.

Still, the short supply hasn't stopped hopeful gamers from nagging store clerks.

At Target on 9371 Coors Blvd. N.W., about three-fourths of the calls to the electronics department are people looking for a Wii, said Brian Inglehart, a salesman.

"An ad goes out in the paper, and we get a few of them," Inglehart said.

When asked how fast each batch is snatched up by customers, he raised his hand near his head and snapped.

"Within an hour," Inglehart said.

People can't even play game demos at most stores, because the wireless controller can't be attached to a stand to prevent theft, Inglehart said.

"We would have to take collateral to hand them out to customers, and we decided not to do that here," Inglehart said.

Instead, the model at Target just plays a video of people using the system.

And that just doesn't relate what it's like to play on the system, which lets players physically interact with a game by moving the controller in various directions, Arriola said.

"I like it because it's more visual, more physical than other systems where you just sit," Arriola said.

The lack of availability has also caused problems in the Albuquerque gaming circuit scene, said Jason Montoya, who runs the X-Topia Tournament for console gamers.

"People ask for tournaments for `Wii Sports,' but we just can't do it," Montoya said. "We don't have any."

Montoya is also the founder of National Video Game Association, which operates in seven states. But he can't even get a Wii for himself, he said.

"I would like to test it out, but I can't because I don't have one," Montoya said.

If you want to spend a few bucks, you can go play on a Wii at an hourly rate of $4 to $6 at Albuquerque's two Ninja Monkey Gaming Centers.

The owners had to get creative to get their systems in stock, said Woody Grover, co-owner.

"When they became available for pre-order, we went down to GameStop and put $50 down just so we could get it when it came out two months later," Grover said.

Getting extra controllers for the systems has been even harder, he said.

"We've had problems since then finding any kind of controllers for the things because they're not readily available," Grover said.

Still, at Ninja Monkey, the Wii is a hit - especially with the ladies, Grover said.

"We've had so many guys come in with their girlfriends," Grover said. "The girls look around at all the shooter games and say, `I don't want to play.' Then the guy brings them over to the Wii, and an hour later they're like, `This is pretty cool.' "

Most of the Wii games are simple sports titles or games with cartoon characters in them, he said.

So when will the shortage be over? That's anybody's guess.

There are rumors of Nintendo shipping more systems to the United States in May, maybe sooner. But nobody really knows, Grover said.

"You know, other than the ones we have, I've never seen one at a store in a box," Grover said.