It is absolutely essential to study the manual closely before adopting any Dogz and it is a good idea to print it off for easy and quick reference. It is an excellent manual that is well set out, and it explains everything in simple, straightforward language, making it accessible to children. Now for the fun! Choose from one of 15 breeds of Dogz, from Bulldogs to Sheepdogs, from Muts to Chihuahuas, with all their different personalities, likes and dislikes, but don't adopt too many-they must all be cared for. Love them and remember to feed them. Give them water, medicine when they're sick and don't forget to brush them. Exercise and play regularly with your Dogz; reward them for good behaviour and squirt them with water if they misbehave. Train them to do tricks. There are more than 100 toys to play with-lucky Dogz find some and there are more to be earned when you play the five mini games. Collect wonderful gifts with them during their doggy travels, such as exotic jewels. Treat your Dogz well and earn yourself a happy-pet certificate. Choose items of clothing and accessories to dress them; watch your Dogz fall in love and have puppies, and access their family trees as far back as eight generations. A Web Fun Pack is included, which contains Petz clipart, animations and backgrounds, all Internet-ready to enable you to create your own Web pages. Particularly helpful are the tips on day and night cycles, how Petz grow, what happens when you cheat, how you can acquire new toys, and what to do if your pet runs away. Dogz 5 contains new features, but owners of previous Dogz can bring their adopted pets into this new version. Compatible with Catz 5, put the two programs together to create more breeds, fun and Petz. -Susan Naylor.

These would be ideal for parents to go through with younger children using the comprehensive parents' guide. There are also some very good worksheets, which would help to consolidate children's learning. Become a Science Explorer is a fantastic CD-ROM that really supports the science curriculum in schools. This would be an excellent buy for parents or teachers of children aged 6-10 years old. -Amanda York.

"Can We Build It?" involves knocking down an unsafe bridge, then using colour recognition to match the bricks to rebuild it. Roley needs a hand with unruly tarmac in "Bubble Trouble", when you must guide him over the bubbles to even out the road. And in "Scary Spud", you must move Spud around the screen to scare off the crows. But the crowning glory is "Wendy's Birthday", where guests first decorate her cake then join in the fun line dancing. Also included on each game is "Where's Pilchard?", a hide-and-seek game for the shy, blue cat. Accompanied throughout by Neil Morrisey's narration and the superb music from the TV show, (also now a CD single), this package builds on many elementary educational skills to make little builders into fully fledged Bobs. And while it is not that quick to load (missing plug-ins are provided, but it may take some time) it is well worth the wait. Testers of around two years old found this package fun and evocative of their favourite TV character, though they did require constant supervision and most of the games were beyond mastering. This is a superb educational aid and lots of fun. (Suitable for ages 2 to 6). -Lucie Naylor.

Users explore the school, build LEGO trains, find lost animals and as they do, they learn the lay of the land. The challenges have another motivator built in-without them, you cannot cast all the magical spells otherwise available to Harry and the others. LEGO Creator Harry Potter frees you to build a stage and place upon it the well-known characters from the JK Rowling novels. What happens next is limited only by your imagination. -Alyx Dellamonica.

This is a valuable introduction to key mathematical concepts capitalising on the natural eagerness young children have to learn. -Susan Naylor.