residents this week as the pressure mounts in advance of Good Friday -- the most important kite flying day of the year.

Of course for the traditionalist, there is only one answer -- build. Showing up at a Bermudian-dominated kite flying party with plastic is surely the route to ridicule and discrimination.

But how much will it cost you to impress your friends this year? A visit to Hamilton's toy stores suggests a kite architect must spend between $9 and $20 to build the prototypical, tissue paper Bermuda kite.

"For about $4.50 (on supplies) and the cost of string you can still make a kite for nine dollars of less,'' said Ronnie Williams at the Annex Toy Store.

But string -- or twine -- is running a little costlier this year than in the past. "The string is a little expensive because it's imported from Ireland,'' said Mr. Williams. "It's hemp.'' Depending on which string you want to buy to fly your kite and how much you need, the price for twine alone can range from $5.75 to $45.95.

That higher price tag is for a large roll of Air Line twine tested for 250 pounds at 1000 feet. A smaller roll of the same quality runs for $29.95.

Nylon kite line tested for 150 pounds at 500 feet will run you $19.95 but you can buy a the familiar looking brown twine for roughly $5 to $10 a roll depending on length.

But don't make the mistake of buying the string used to "string'' your kite body and try to fly your kite with that, said Toys `N' Stuff salesperson Charles Burgess. Your kite just might snap off and fly away. The lighter line for stringing the kite runs for $3.35 for 300 feet of Gold Medal brand but is only tested for breakage up to six pounds.

If you don't want to wind your own string, you can buy Go Fly a Kite twine attached to a plastic roller tested for 50 pounds at 500 feet for $6.95 at Annex or Gayla twine tested for 30 pounds at 500 feet for $4.95. Hard to say how your friends might react to your plastic roller though.

For the most basic two-colour Bermuda kite you'll need three sticks, one nail for the centre, kite string, flying twine, two pieces of tissue paper and basic glue such as Elmer's.

The high cost of kites Toys'N'Stuff were selling 30 inch sticks for 60 cents, 24 inch for 55 cents and tissue paper for 15 cents a sheet. Elmer's 225ml Washable School glue is selling for $1.75. For $1.50 you could opt for 147ml of Elmer's paste.

If you want to get fancy or go round, bender sticks are running for 20 cents a piece.

If you want to build but are a little unsure about the correct stick structure, the Annex toy store is selling sets of kite sticks which might make the task a little easier. The store is also selling even easier to use pre-assembled frames to which budding kite builders need only paste tissue paper for $14.

But the truly talentless can buy a pre-assembled tissue paper kite. These are selling for $20 at Toys'N'Stuff and between $19.95 and $35 depending on intricacy at the Annex.

If you want to pull the wool over anyone's eyes however, you may want to pay a clandestine visit to Bermuda's Kite King -- Vincent Tuzo. Mr. Tuzo has been making kites for more than 60 years and his creations are selling for between $12 and $25 dollars. But he only has 70 available and he doesn't sell on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, whatever is not sold by then he'll take down to the Sunshine League.

The cost of tradition is on the rise, Mr. Tuzo said. "Everything has gone up,'' he said. "Everything seems to be getting out of hand.'' And he worries that the tissue paper tradition is being lost. "Seems like people only go out to fly on Good Friday now,'' he said. "Used to be people would start flying kites in January.'' If you must buy a plastic kite, you'll pay $3.95 for the cheapest versions.

Prices can climb up to $99.95 for the top model at the Annex. But you can choose from Barbie, Pokemon, Batman and Skulls designs and 56 inch Stealth Stunt kite -- which sells for $45.95 -- comes complete with an interactive CD to teach you how to do the stunts.

But is not simply beauty of design or traditional simplicity that make the homemade tissue paper kites special. "People like them because they make noise,'' said Mr. Tuzo.