Prepare for takeoff on your gaming system.

• Position: VIDEO GAMES

So often we hear from adults that they have no idea what gifts to get for kids. One simple suggestion is a video game. You'd be hard-pressed to find a child who doesn't have at least one gaming system--many have multiple choices, including their computers. There are some great selections for every age group.

We can hear the cheers already when youngsters find out about the updated version of the best-selling kids baseball video game of all time: Backyard Baseball. The 2007 version is full of top Major League Baseball pros as kids, including current superstars Albert Pujols (on the cover), Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Ichiro Suzuki, to name a few. It features all 30 MLB teams, plus 10 Backyard teams. Choose from the diverse pool of players to play single games or a full season with complete stats and standings. From Humongous, Inc., the kid-friendly, nonviolent game is rated E for Everyone and available on PS2, PC, and GBA. Backyard Sports, the only brand licensed by all professional U.S. sports leagues, also offers Backyard Basketball starring All-Star Paul Pierce and Backyard Football with Super Bowl champion QB Ben Roethlisberger.

You can't go wrong with the PC offerings from Kutoka Interactive, Montreal, Canada. The award-winning Mia Big Adventure Collection is edutainment at its best, with outstanding 3D graphics, delightful characters, and story-based gameplay that make learning fun. In The Search for Grandma's Remedy, players pick up such literacy skills as spelling, phonics, and comprehension while they help Mia find the ingredients for her grandmother's medicine. In Romaine's New Hat, Romaine finds the hat that Mia "borrowed" from her mother and now players must help her find a way to get it back, all the while discovering age-appropriate science topics including plants and animals, weather, and electricity. In Just in Time, math concepts are cleverly integrated into the plot as Mia tries to find the parts needed to assemble a time machine. In The Kidnap Caper, Mia must locate her beloved grandmother in this adventure that teaches Spanish or French as a second language, including the alphabet, hundreds of everyday words, and simple sentence construction.

Another returning old favorite is Pac-Man World Rally from Namco Bandai Games America. In this fast-paced kart racing game, players can compete against the computer or friends as Pac-Man or other Namco characters. Available on PS2, PSR GC, and PC, it is rated E.

...