***BEST BET 1997***

BIG art projects become a breeze with these bingo dabber markers. The brightly coloured markers are non-spillable, will not dry out if the caps are left off, and are washable. Artists can produce thick marker lines or soft, blended water-colour effects. A wonderful gift for anyone!

***BEST BET 1997***

Dig this crazy dinosaur! All of our testers were extremely impressed and excited when they unearthed a museum quality fossilized dinosaur (T-Rex, Triceratops, Velociraptor, Parasaurolophus, Saber Tooth Tiger) skull replica from its hiding place in simulated sandstone. This kit also included good quality tools (hammer, chisel, brush, goggles, plastic drop sheet) as well as an instruction sheet, specimen report card, certificate of authenticity, and x-rays. This kit showed the importance of all steps, from digging out and preparing the dinosaur skull to recording the information for future researchers. Superb outdoors activity. NOTE: Younger children may require assistance; all need supervision.

***BEST BET 1997***

This beautiful 30 cm geopolitical globe has an electronic talking base that poses 10,000 fascinating questions about world countries, capitals, cities, rivers, oceans, landmarks, national songs, and more! This globe tracks scores, rewards correct answers, corrects incorrect ones, even comments when a player answers correctly three times in a row. Mostly our testers liked that they could search the globe for the correct answers! Some families reported that their children developed an interest in globe geography because of this toy. A wonderful toy for any home!

***BEST BET 1997***

WOW, kids just could not get enough of this nylon hexagon shaped tent with 350 plastic balls inside it. Not only is it lightweight and durable, but there is a spring steel loop around the frame, that can be assembled in seconds, then stored in a convenient carrying case. A hit with all of our testers!

***BEST BET 1997***

If you like the Friz on TV you'll dig this program. While our older testers were sufficiently challenged to work through the main game to find the missing rocks, our youngest testers were more than content in exploring the other eight games, four experiments and six reports, as well as the six different earth terrain's. The sound effects and humour only add to the fun and the best part of all is we found this program to be really educational! Fun while learning, what a concept, but don't tell the kids!! You may not move mountains with this program, but you can build volcanoes! CD-ROM version tested.

***BEST BET 1997***

Can learning be this much fun? It can be with Ms. Frizzle and her class! Our testers enjoyed this wonderfully detailed animated program, with lively music, good sound effects, 12 games, seven experiments, 21 reports and Liz there for the fun, to teach you about the seven distinct ocean zones (sandy beach, kelp forest, ocean floor, rocky intertidal zone, hot water vent, deep sea floor, coral reef). No reading skills are necessary to enjoy this fun and informative CD-ROM program.

***BEST BET 1997***

For environmental enthusiasts, here is a wonderful little kit that will teach your children about Sapodilla trees, the rainforest and making real gum. Did you know that nowadays, the gum we buy in stores is made from chemicals and synthetic gum bases, not chicle (gum)! Mix chicle from the Sapodilla tree, add corn syrup, knead with icing sugar, add flavouring and chew your very own creations. While heating and kneading the gum requires adult assistance, testers were surprised at how uncomplicated the process was. A neat little activity. HINT: Cut the pieces into 1.5 cm pieces, wrap in wax paper and tape closed to keep gum fresh. NOTE: A nice birthday party activity.

***BEST BET 1997***

There are demons loose in the museum, and they have apparently killed the professor. Two children have disappeared without a trace. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to neutralize and capture the demons. This is not a job for the faint-of-heart - you must be resourceful, and solve the many puzzles scattered about, or clues will elude you. Nor will the demons stand still, for they are also on the hunt - for you! The game uses music and sound effects to build the mood, but none of our testers was truly scared to the point of having shivers. Our testers had lots of fun and an interesting visit through the museum. The game installs in under 1 MB of hard disk space, but the accompanying ads take up an additional 3 MB of room if installed. Use of a 640 x 480 Windows screen driver is recommended due to the reduced video image used on some systems with less video memory, and a double-spin CD-ROM is a minimum requirement.