A "Radica" idea for dealing with 'tweens

Living with a 'tween girl can be difficult. It's an unsure time for them: they don't want to be treated like babies, but they're still not quite mature enough to be left to their own devices. One thing's for certain, as they become more aware of their appearance, they want to create their own "look," but just what that is, they don't know. It's still too soon for makeup--and crazy haircuts can take a long time to fix. That's where Digi Makeover from Radica: Girl Tech, Dallas, Tex., comes in.

This touchpad console with a built-in digital camera plugs directly into the TV, so girls can snap their picture and see themselves on screen. With the stylus, they can alter their look by swapping hairstyles, experimenting with makeup, and even adding accessories. This way, they are able to transform themselves and still never touch a hair on their beautiful heads. Digi Makeover ($59.99) also has a photo booth mode, so kids can pose, alone or with friends, with different backgrounds and save three of their favorite creations.

Another in Radica's line of addictive TV games is Family Tetris ($19.99). It comes with two controllers and allows for head-to-head play. Each player can compete at his or her own skill level, so parents and kids can play together and select their own difficulty. There are five games to choose from--Family, Race, Marathon, Dig, and Versus--and different modes to play single or together.

Radica has an electronic handheld version of Sudoku ($19.99), a game that has taken the country by storm, where novices and experienced players alike can choose from thousands of puzzles with four levels of difficulty. It uses the traditional 9 x 9 playing board, with the object being to fill the grid so that every row, column, or box contains the numbers one through nine without duplication. It comes with a doodle pen to mark possible solutions and features Undo and Hint buttons.

Visit www.radicagames.com for more information.

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