"Maximise your life" says one of the posters at the bottom of the escalator taking shoppers from street level to the upper floors of the Funan IT mall. As you glide upwards, past signs promoting Windows Vista and boxes stacked from floor to ceiling, it is impossible not to feel like a child in a sweet shop - but as one of the assistants advised, "Even if you have lots of money, you don't want to go spending it on things you don't need."

The problem with the Funan mall, though, is that it is full of things everyone needs - especially laptops and cameras. The difficult part comes when you have to make a choice: Harvey Norman, the store that occupies the basement area, claims to have more than 115 digital cameras on display.

Come with a specific item in mind and you are bound to find it - but the best bargains are in the special offers. Most of the outlets reduce prices on certain items, usually at weekends, but only while stocks last. So if you see something you like, snap it up; if you hesitate, it may be too late. I picked up an external hard drive for S$99 (£32), about two-fifths of what I would pay in Britain. The next day they were gone. Funan Digitalife IT Mall, 109 North Bridge Road (00 65 6336 8327; www.funan.com.sg) Open 10.30am-8.30pm daily.

For more information about Singapore go to www.visitsingapore.com