games . . .
for you & the people in your life
by Vince Cogley

Nintendo
Star FoxCommand
• PRICE: $34.99
• NINTENDO• WWW.NINTENDO.COM

Gas up your Arwing and set off to save the galaxy again, as Nintendo’s Star Fox franchise hits the Nintendo DS. Star Fox Command lets players use their DS’ touchscreen to both fly their own Arwings and draw flight plans to courageously lead their wingmen into battle. By using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, you can play against three other opponents anywhere in the world.


Multiplatform
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
• PRICE: $29.99 (GAME BOY ADVANCE)$39.99 (ALL OTTHER CONSOLES)
• LUCASARTS ENTERTAINMENT• WWW.LUCASARTS.COM

Combining the endless possibilities of a pile of LEGOs with George Lucas’s legendary space opera, LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy chronicles the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and the film’s other heroes (in LEGO form). This game is good, family fun and a great way to introduce your little ones to “Stars Wars.” In true LEGO fashion, you can create custom LEGO Star Wars characters.


Nintendo DS
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody: Tipton Trouble
• PRICE: $29.99
• BUENA VISTA GAMES• WWW.BUENAVISTAGAMES.GO.COM

This title, based on Disney’s hit TV show, lets you play along with the two troublesome twins who reside in the Tipton Hotel. Take control of Zack and his skateboard or help Cody shoot aliens, robots, and ghosts with his vacuum. You can dress the twins in a variety of disguises and play mini-games against a friend using your DS’ wireless capabilities. If your kids are Disney Channel junkies, then they’ll love this title.

. . . & gifts
on the lighter side of technology
by Marty Sems

Morpheus Photo Animation Suite 3 Standard
• WWW.ANIMATEPHOTOS.COM • PRICE: $59.95

Kids, tweens, and parents will have hours of rainy day fun with this software suite ($59.95). You can morph two or more photos so that one person turns into another in an animated clip. Next, load a photo of the dog and crazily warp his eyes and tongue until he looks like a friend of Ren & Stimpy. Finally, mix a photo of your nephew and his girlfriend so you can tease him about how their future children might look. The suite’s components, Photo Morpher, Photo Warper, and Photo Mixer, are also sold separately; our screenshot is from the pricier Industrial suite ($199.95). Check out the examples at www.animatephotos.com for more goofy ideas.


Yoda Plush Backpack
• WWW.THINKGEEK.COM• PRICE: $39.99


“Judge me by my size, do you?” Kids of all ages are clamoring for one of these. It’s a backpack that looks like Yoda clinging to Luke Skywalker’s back, teaching him how to become a Jedi in “The Empire Strikes Back.” These are apparently hot sellers at vendors such as www.thinkgeek.com ($39.99) and www.fantasytoyland.com ($29.95) at press time. We’re still trying to get one for editor Katie Sommer, who’s all psyched up for her personal photo shoot, tentatively titled “Yoga With Master Yoda.” (Photo courtesy of ThinkGeek.com.)



Memorex Pro Gold Archival Media
• WWW.MEMOREX.COM • PRICE: $12.99 - $24.99

For the family historian, or anyone looking to preserve his precious memories, here’s a gift that will outlast a lifetime. Memorex’s Pro Gold CD-Rs (www.memorex.com) should retain data for about 300 years, the company says, thanks to a 24-karat gold reflective layer and special recording dye. Baby photos, wedding pics, video clips of graduation day . . . these deserve the best protection available. The CD-Rs come in $12.99 3-packs or $19.99 5-packs. Pro Gold DVD-Rs don’t cost much more at $14.99 for three and $24.99 for five, but they have lower 100-year ratings. Leave a note for your descendants to copy your DVDs to some other format in 99 years.