Nokia has just dropped word that its gaming Godzilla phone, the monstrously slick N81, has launched across the globe. And with N-Gage exploding into action next month our thumbs have got the shakes.

In our neck of the woods the buff 8GB version (watch video) can find its way into your slacks for 430 Euros (around 300 quid), with the gig-less model clocking in at 360 Euros (roughly 250 smackers).

Granted, the N95 8GB (watch video) has been hogging the limelight over the past few weeks, along with Nokia’s upcoming iPhone-killer, but the N81 promises to be the handset that’s truly going to propel Nok blowers onto the handheld gaming map - of course there’s its support for the whole Xbox Live-style N-Gage global gaming service, but it’s the N81’s ergonomically game-centric controls (right-handed) and pukka landscape setting that make it feel genuinely like a credible and comfortable way to play top-end games on the go.

We’re camped out on the doorstep, waiting for our N81 to plop through the letterbox any minute. When it does, we’ll start tapping into its hidden talents and brining you the full lowdown on all the coolest stuff you can do with this kingly caller.