Great software for kids.

Let's face it--good software is expensive. Sure, you can download simple stuff from the Web. But if you want super programs with great graphics, you have to pay from $20 to $50 a program. So you better make sure you're getting something you'll love.

But how can you tell? A program wrapped in bright, exciting packaging is no guarantee of Reviews You have to do (gulp!) a little homework to make sure it's the program for you. Here are some good sources:

Reviews

Magazines like Family PC and Home PC review children's software and recommend titles. Or you can go to the Web for reviews and tips; try www.superkids.com or www.smartkid.com.

Word of mouth

Friends and teachers can recommend software that they have tried. And they probably know something about what you enjoy.

Manufacturers

Certain companies are known for quality. If you have a program you like, you might want to buy your next one from the same company. From our experience, some of the top companies are Broderbund, Davidson, Discovery, DK Multimedia, Edmark, The Learning Company, MECC, Microsoft, Sierra, and Theatrix.

U*S*Kids

We often recommend titles that we think are tops. Here are three winners:

SIM Park

Kids can plan--and plant--their own park, then watch it grow. The player starts with a budget of $15,000, which is used to buy trees, bushes, flowers, grasses, mammals, birds, and reptiles to put in the park. The trees grow (and change with the seasons) and the animals multiply.

There are also things to build for people visiting your park, like swings, slides, hot dog stands, and gazebos. Of course, people mean trash, and that's just one more duty of a good park ranger. You must also answer e-mail that comes in, and update identification files about the plant and animals in your park.

What makes this game great--besides the unbelievable detail and realistic sound effects--is that it's based on natural principles. (Remember the food chain? Make sure you have small rodents if you add hawks to the park!) The park on the screen becomes a living, breathing ecosystem that depends on you for its well-being.

Made by Maxis. Suggested retail: $39.95. Call 1-800-33-MAXIS.

The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis

This is a program about logical thinking, dressed up as a bizarre journey by a band of brave little blobs called Zoombinis. They've lost their freedom to a group of nasty creatures called Bloats. Your job is to help the Zoombinis find a new home by using logic.

What exactly is logic? It means figuring things out by scientific reasoning. Try something out, check the results, make a few adjustments, and try again. You've got to use logical thinking skills to help the little guys solve puzzles as they climb over cliffs, through forests, over rivers, and into caves.

The first challenge the Zoombinis face is that of the Allergic Cliffs. You must get them across rope bridges by figuring out which of their attributes--hair style, type of feet--the cliffs find allergic. Figure it out, or your little Zoombinis are sneezed off the ladders. When you reach the end of the journey, your Zoombinis get to build their new city!

Made by Broderbund. Suggested retail: $39.95. Call 1-800-521-6263.

InventorLabs: Transportation

Imagine being able to travel back in time and visit a famous inventor who gives you a tour of his lab and lets you experiment with his gear. This program is a sequel to last year's award-winning InventorLabs, which gave kids interactive tours of the labs of several famous inventors. The new program visits the labs of George Stephenson, the creator of the first practical locomotive; Gottlieb Daimler, the inventor of the modern automobile; and Wilbur and Orville Wright, inventors of the first powered airplane.

InventorLabs: Transportation uses stunning 3-D software that lets you move through space and interact with objects. In each lab, you can examine the various tools and machines the inventors used, and try experiments. This is a great program for the budding scientist, easily one of the year's top programs for kids.

Made by Houghton Mifflin. Suggested retail: $29.95. Call 1-800-829-7962.