(Yeah, I know this is the year of Wii vs. PS3 vs. Xbox360, but all are beyond the budget.)
Family friend on a tight budget wants to surprise a good kid for xmas. Age 10, so Xbox is out. I can't recommend a handheld (DS or PSP) after seeing so many kids tuning out the outside world.
So... other than a couple of kid-oriented exclusive titles, is there any reason to seek out a GameCube over a PS2?