DIGITAL L.A. : GIZMOS AND GAMES LIVEN UP THE SEASON.

Byline: David Bloom

As you stock up on computers, video game consoles and DVD players this digital Christmas, you'll need something to actually play on your new gizmos. Here are some last-minute arrivals worth your attention.

Some titles are available on more than one platform, and are so noted with the following abbreviations: PlayStation (PSX), Nintendo 64 (N64), Sega Dreamcast (DC), Windows-based computer (PC), Apple Macintosh computer (Mac), Game Boy/Game Boy Color (GB).

DVDs

I concentrate here on some recent animation and fantasy titles that may work for both little ones and grownups. As with most DVDs, these titles often have lots of extras beyond the film itself.

Disney is issuing its first nine DVD titles, starting with ``Pinocchio.'' You also may find ``The Wizard of Oz'' in a resplendent digital reissue. But for more out-of-the-way goodies, try these:

``The Nuttiest Nutcracker'' is a fabulous-looking 3-D computer animation based loosely on ''The Nutcracker'' story line.

``The Iron Giant'' was a box-office bust but critical fave with its Atomic Age in-jokes, deft combination of classic and computer animation and story of a boy and his giant robot. Warner Bros. has loaded the disc with other features.

``The Wall'' is Pink Floyd's Orwellian movie/album, completely remastered for 5.1-channel surround-sound and high-definition video. Throw in a second documentary and much else and you have a showpiece.

For a quick tour of English animation highlights of the past three decades, start with ``Yellow Submarine,'' reissued in glorious fluorescent colors with all that gorgeous Beatles music sounding better than ever.

You can see the movie's influences stretched beyond 1969 with ``Monty Python's And Now for Something Completely Different,'' which is laden with fun from the loony British comedy troupe that gave us John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam.

Finally, over the past decade or so, the great Nick Parks has been crafting a series of much-loved, stop-motion clay animation shorts about a wide-mouthed Brit and his eyebrow-arching dog. The ``Wallace and Gromit'' disc contains three of these wonderful stories, along with some other odds and ends about Parks' career.

Sports games

Basketball season is well under way, with some decent titles on every platform. One of my favorites is Midway's NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC (DC, PSX, N64). It's the roundball equivalent of the company's over-the-top NFL Blitz. Anything short of physical assault is legal, with plenty of fun moves and dunks possible. This is a great game on the Dreamcast and N64 because four people can play in the two-on-two game.

For more extreme winter sports, try Sled Storm (PSX), a somewhat unlikely but fun snowmobile-racing game, or Cool Boarders 4 (PSX), the latest in a line of great snowboarding titles.

Looking back

For your clan's nostalgic gamers, I'd suggest several revived classics mined from 1980s-era arcades and given a heavily revamped, 3-D version as well as their ``classic'' modes. They aren't all worth the treatment, but I liked the revived Centipede game (PSX, DC), the Next Tetris (PSX, N64) and Space Invaders (GBC, PSX). Blessedly, Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man are also back, as part of the Namco Museum Collection.

Multi-platform

Rayman 2: The Great Escape (N64, PC) The limbless hero hops to N64 with a great new adventure that's a blast to play for any age, and looks even better on PC, in one of the better games of the year.

Toy Story 2 (PC, N64, PSX) comes from the same people who made last year's ``Bug's Life'' title so fun. Buzz Lightyear makes his way through a series of buildings, much as in the hugely successful film, to rescue Woody and others. A nice adventure for anyone 8 or so and up.

PlayStation

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage is the sequel to last year's breakout adventure hit, Spyro the Dragon, and every bit as much fun. Younger children will love it, but so will more grown-up ones.

Crash Team Racing is also a sequel of sorts, with Crash Bandicoot now driving. I don't like it as much as Hot Wheels Turbo Racing (also on N64), but both are good. But if you want a real racing experience, look for Gran Turismo 2, the massive sequel to the best driving simulator ever.

For more mayhem in your driving, look for Twisted Metal 3 and Vigilante 8: Second Offense (also DC), or the truly politically incorrect Grand Theft Auto 2.

Nintendo 64

Nintendo's secret weapon is Rare and other in-house studios, which are responsible for both Donkey Kong 64 and Jet Force Gemini.

DK64 is the latest from one of Nintendo's signature franchises, and is a colorful, complex and fun title. But it's a bit too challenging for players younger than 8 or so.

Jet Force Gemini is also for older gamers, a space adventure that involves killing a lot of big, well-armed ant creatures and rescuing ewok-like villagers. There's a two-person cooperative mode, a four-player battle mode, and an excellent story line.

Dreamcast

The new guy has already sold more than 1 million machines in less than three months, in part because of great titles such as NFL 2K and NBA 2K. I also love the Sega Bass Fishing game, which is ridiculously addictive.

Soul Fighter is another handsome entry in Dreamcast's seemingly inexhaustible array of fighting games, though Soul Calibur remains the champ. And in the racing genre, Sega Rally Championship is a near-perfect arcade transfer.

Toy Commander, which lets you direct toys against each other, is a fun alternative to the Toy Story 2 universe, while Rippin' Riders and Trick Style should sate the family extreme sportster.

PC

Quake III Arena is the ultimate blast-fest but relies largely on tournament modes instead of what made the first two Quakes go. It looks fabulous, plays wonderfully but is strictly for testosterone-ridden older gamers (on Mac too).

Amerzone is a handsome, Myst-like adventure, with you playing a journalist trying to return mystical white eggs to a Central American tribe. Good for gamers who prefer a slower ride.

Panzer General 3-D Assault is a turn-based-strategy game set on World War II's Western Front, with nifty 3-D graphics for units and terrain.

Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun nicely extends the real-time strategy genre its predecessor started, with much better graphics, fun new units and cool terrain effects.

Lego Friends is a great game for youngsters of both sexes. You help an all-female music group create multiple tracks of music, tie it to backdrops and lighting, then watch the group perform. Highly recommended.

Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver and Shadowman are somewhat similar horror adventures that will have you working this world and the afterlife to clean out the bad guys.

Mob Rule is a very funny, very politically incorrect take on the SimCity genre. Build up your gang of criminals through graft, corruption and other unsavory tactics. For a more upstanding pair of simulations, try out Roller Coaster Tycoon or Sim Theme Park, both of which let you build and run your Disneyland-like operations. Tycoon is the more detailed one, but cartoonish Sim Theme Park even comes with a camcorder view to let you see firsthand what a ride looks like.

Gear

Finally, I'd suggest a couple of computer accessories from Saitek, whose nifty little $20 joystick, the ST-110, makes a great stocking stuffer. You can also try its more expensive -- and endlessly configurable -- cousin, the Cyborg 2000.

I also like the Pool Shark, which lets you play virtual pool games using a real cuestick. It even comes with a pool cue and a game, Ultimate 8 Ball.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1) The Saitek ST-110 joystick is a nifty $20 stocking stuffer.

(2) In Lego Friends, players help an all-female group create multiple music tracks, tie it to backdrops and lighting, then watch the group perform.