Cheap Pokemon Project Studio: Red Version (Software) (Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows Me) Price

For anyone who's been circling planet Earth rather than living on it, Pokémon is the rage with the elementary-school set. To say that it's a hot fad is a rabid understatement. Kids love the Japanese Anime characters, based on a Nintendo pocket game. The same sensibility permeates this licensed product, and it's sure to satisfy.

The software offers both preconstructed projects and the ability to start from scratch. The menu lists are dense with text, so for younger kids, parents will need to be there for the first few hours of play. (After that, kids can easily orient themselves to the corresponding colorful, icon-based buttons on the interface).

The main drawing board offers a wide variety of things to make: birthday cards, stationery, postcards, and calendars. (Teachers and parents may want to get this software for themselves--included are achievement awards and banners that can easily be personalized.) Also included with the software is Avery sticker paper--which can be refilled--and more substantive plastic paper that can be baked in the oven after it's been printed (a process similar to making Shrinky Dinks).

A superior graphics package, Pokémon Project Studio has the added luck of featuring the hottest characters around. While kids will just love to play with their favorite animal friends, parents will appreciate the thought and planning needed to execute these artistic endeavors.