It’s that time of year again. We’re going over the hill and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go (for holiday dinner). Want to keep the kids entertained in a whole new way for that long road trip? Check out the Backseat Playground, a GPS-powered “in-car gaming system.”

Instead of the standard fare of games on the PSP and Nintendo DS, this unique entertainment system is said to transform real world “sights, attractions, and locations” into in-game characters and events. This extra bit of reality may be just the novelty backseat drivers need to stop asking, “Are we there yet?”

Behind the experience are a set of headphones, a ltop in the trunk, a handheld computer, and — of course — a GPS receiver. What results is a 3D representation of the real world around the car as it makes its way down the highway, presenting a story “like a novel.”