Seventy years after the first report of its existence surfaced, a new study shows that the classic in-car game 'I Spy' is still as popular as ever.

A study from Citroen has revealed that 63 per cent of parents have played I Spy in the last year - even though family cars are increasingly coming equipped with DVD players and other state-of-the-art entertainment gadgets.

The game is more popular with younger generations with 38 per cent of three- to eight-year-olds having played it, compared to just six per cent of nine- to eleven-year-olds.

"All parents know that the only way to make a long car journey tolerable is to keep the kids occupied," child psychologist Dr Pat Spungin commented.

"Spending some time playing traditional in-car games like I Spy, are still good ways of entertaining young children but technologically savvy older children expect their entertainment to be more sophisticated."

Dr Spungin added that gadgets such as MP3 players do a good job of keeping children entertained - but at the cost of "family interaction and fun".