IF you're the kind of parent who still thinks a high-tech holiday means those Christmas tree lights that blink on and off, swallow some eggnog and brace yourself. CD-Roms start target ing children at age three, and your toddler may well already be puzzling over how Santa Claus will ever fit that Pentium Pro PC down the chimney.
Santa - who admittedly wears his nearly two millennia lightly - has already embraced the digital era, proving that you can't claim age as an excuse for technical ignorance. For example, Santa likes the Internet, where he has found he can be everywhere, just like on Christmas Eve. Children will be delighted to visit him, so if you have a PC in your home, head for http://www.santa4kids.com/santacam, where a camcorder feeds continuous shots of Santa live at the North Pole.
Another good site is http://www.santaclaus.com, for activities, recipes, and even a Santa FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Did you know that Mrs Claus's full name is Jessica Mary Claus? Or that Santa uses Apple Macintosh computers? It's all there: "Santa Claus On-Line" at http://www. cadvision.com/northpole /links.html.
If your children are hoping for anything with chips (silicon, of course), here's a CD-Rom gift guide that will get you up to quad-speed with Father Christmas.
Consoles and Computers
THE games, entertainment and educational software your children want are made to suit specific machines, or "platforms". Games can be played on special games consoles, or on a personal computer. The latest consoles are pricey and are probably wasted on under 11s - particularly since most games for the consoles are intended for the 15 and older crowd. Older children will probably beg, plead, and do all their household chores for the chance of getting their hands on one.
Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation Consoles:
The consoles of choice this Christmas are the Sega Saturn and particularly the Sony PlayStation. Both are technically beefy machines dedicated entirely to one thing: the ultimate in sound and vision games. Plug them into the TV and enjoy lush, state-of-the-art 3D graphics. Both sell for about £230; some stores offer them bundled with a game. Although the two consoles are similar, 32-bit machines, James Callaghan, soft-ware buyer for Virgin Megastore in Dublin says: "The PlayStation is the one that's selling." Sony is the household name, and there are still far more software titles for the PlayStation, although the Saturn has started to pick up in the past two months.
Computers:
A console is just for gaming, whereas a PC is for everybody and everything. On the other hand, the memory-hogging new games run far better on a console, and computers cost at least four times as much for a suitable machine with the sound and graphics ability to play CD-Roms. If you opt for the PC, choose a "multimedia" IBM-compatible PC, or go for a more user-friendly Macintosh. The drawback to the Macintosh is that currently, no retailers seem to carry off- the-shelf Mac CD-Roms any more, although many "edutainment" titles are now dual (PC and Mac) format. The situation may well change shortly, but at the moment Mac fans can get a CD-Rom catalogue from DMC Distribution in Dublin at (01) 295 2710. DMC will also order any Mac title, as will Apple dealer Typetec at (O1) 679 8011.
Titles children want
JOHN Guilfoyle, sales assistant at Electronics Boutique on Dawson Street, Dublin, advises parents to look for age recommendations on the title box. Store policy is not to sell 15+ games to younger customers, and he adds: "If it's a parent that's buying it, we do remind them of the age certificate." Games like Shattered Steel (Interplay, £29.99) are listed as 11+, but do you want a child playing a game where the box cover slogan is "In the future, you don't rebuild. You reload"?
The market still caters primarily for boys, but some girls like the shoot `em ups, and there are plenty of strategy and role-play games as alternatives. Virgin's Callaghan says: in "Generally, girls are more interested the thinking games than in beating the living daylights out of things."
Guilfoyle points despairingly to a bright pink box for the Barbie: Fashion Designer CD-Rom (FunSoft, £39.99) and sighs: "This is what the publishers think will win over the girl market."
For consoles:
FIFA 97 (Electronic Arts, £44.99/PC 29.99, 11+): Excellent graphics and very realistic play will keep soccer fans entranced. Different levels of skill mean seven to eight-year-olds can try the game, but players are directed about the field with a fairly elaborate set of key movements, which means this will better suit kids 11 and up.
Soviet Strike (Electronic Arts, console only, £44.99, 11+): A shoot `em up war strategy game which is a follow-up to the best-selling Desert Strike. Again, better for the 11 and up group.
For the PC:
James Callaghan notes that anything for the under 11s is mostly educational software, but popular game titles include Monkey Island for the under nines, the numerous Star Trek games, Creatures (a funky sort of Darwinism in action), Crash Dandicoot, or Tekken 2. Console titles are also available for PC.
Encarta 97 (Microsoft, PC only, £44.99, all ages): The interactive encyclopaedia of choice, which also links to the Internet.
Something for the whole family on cold winter evenings or Sunday afternoons, and will also be used for homework assignments. Punchy, colourful and practical.
The Way Things Work (Dorling Kindersley, £39.99, age 8+): Hours of fascinating fun in a state of the art CD-Rom. Children learn about steam engines, airplane wings, and zippers, with interactive surprises and a web link. You'll want to play with it, too; try not to hog the mouse.
Disney Animated StoryBooks (Disney, £39.99, age 3-9): Paul Barron, assistant manager at Game on Grafton Street, Dublin, says these fly out the door and kids love them. Toy Story, The Lion King, and Pocahontas are available; 101 Dalmatians is not far behind. The animation for Toy Story is, breathtaking.
Fun School 4 (Europress Educational, £25.99-29.99, age 4+): Great graphics, lots of activities and games which teach at the same time. A non-American alternative that sells well and delights kids. Graphics are far superior to the similar BBC edutainment titles.
Sesame Street (Electronic Arts, £29.99, 3+): Excellent products from a quality publisher. Young children feel comfortable with these characters they know from the TV programme. Titles include Letters, Let's Make a Word, Art Workshop.
The Great Green Mouse Disaster (Macmillan Interactive, £19.99, age 5-11): Absolutely delightful CD-Rom musical adventure developed by Dublin company Pixel Magic. Well worth tracking down. Adults will enjoy playing along too.
Dinosaur Hunter (Dorling-Kindersley, £29.99, age 8+): You can't go wrong with dinosaurs, especially this classy CD-Rom which lets kids excavate their own dinosaur then bring it back to life in best Jurassic Park tradition.
Red Shift 2: Solar System Explorer
(Maris, £49.99 and £39.99, 11+ and 8+): Parents will love these as much as children. Both titles are beautifully-designed space encyclopaedias. Red Shift 2 even has animated fly-bys of planets. Most kids adore anything to do with astronomy and young Star Trek fans will be glued to the screen.
