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Toy story 2 activity center By Pam Gleichman Tribune Media Services Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the rest of the toys are back! With Disney�s new CD-ROM, Disney/Pixar�s Activity Center, Toy Story 2, you can now join in the fun of "Toy Story 2" through a variety of fast-paced arcade games, mind-bending puzzles, print projects and open-ended creative activities that will take you "to infinity and beyond." You begin in the TV room by "clicking" the buttons on the TV to navigate through activities. With Cone Chaos, you guide the gang� camouflaged as traffic cones � across the busy street to rescue Woody. In Round Up, inspired by the 1950s TV show depicted in the movie, you must move your "critters" from your own corrals into your opponent�s corrals. You can play with friends or against the computer. In addition to these games and others � Toy Shelf Showdown and Luggage Lunacy � you can "Create-a-Comic" using the sounds and images of your favorite characters. You can also print stickers, posters, greeting cards and more with "Woody�s Printing Press." Disney/Pixar�s Activity Center, Toy Story 2 was a big hit with our testers. Children spent a lot of time on each activity. Some of the children spent a half-hour and only played one or two of the activities. Toy Shelf Showdown is an arcade-like game with three levels of difficulty. Children earn points and can make the "Top Ten" list. The points and the list motivated kids to continue playing in order to increase their scores. Each of the activities has good content and replay value. Publisher : Disney Interactive, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, Calif. 91521, http://www.disneyinteractive.com , (800) 900-9234. Category : Fun, problem-solving. Age : 4 to 8. Installation : Easy. Use : Easy. Verbal instructions are given for each activity. Graphics : Very good. Written Materials : A user�s manual is included on the CD jacket. System Requirements : Windows 95 or later, Pentium 133 MHz or faster, 16 MB RAM or greater, Quad-speed CD-ROM, 16 Bit Sound, 16 Bit Color, 50 MB free hard disk space, Windows compatible mouse. Macintosh System 8.1 or later, Power PC 132 MHz or faster, 32 MB RAM or greater, Quad speed CD-ROM, Thousands or millions of colors, 16 Bit sound, 50 MB free hard disk space. Tested Version : Windows 95/Macintosh. Cost : $29.95. Rating : Four stars. Disney Junior Games Activity Center, based on Disney�s Toy Story 2 animated movie, will keep you entertained for hours. Although Toy Story 2�s release date was not in time for my holiday picks column, it would be a great choice for holiday gift giving. DEAR PAM: In a recent column, you listed my favorite game, RollerCoaster Tycoon. Have you seen the expansion pack, "Corkscrew Follies"? It adds a lot to the original game. More of everything. I know you probably have to list suggested retail prices in your articles but I have found RollerCoaster Tycoon for as low as $19.95 and Corkscrew Follies for $17.95. There are also a lot of rides and a couple of new scenarios available on the Web site www.rollercoastertycoon.com. The Web site also hosts competitions in building the best rides. My grandchildren and I have had a lot of enjoyable time playing this game. In fact, I play it just to relax. Thanks for the information. We just tested Corkscrew Follies and found it to be a great addition. This wonderful program is a favorite in our lab! WEB SITE OF THE WEEK EXPLORERS CLUB http://www.epa.gov/kids/kids The Environmental Protection Agency has put this site together to teach kids all about saving the environment. RATING KEY : ***** � Outstanding; **** � Very Good; *** � Good; ** � Fair; * � Not Worth Purchasing. Pam Gleichman welcomes questions/comments from readers. Write to Pam at Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, Ill. 60611. Send e-mail to [email protected] . © 1999 Tribune Media Services, Inc. Techno file index Mail Tribune Copyright © The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA