Web address: www.pbs.org/kids
Cost: Free
User friendly index: **
Entertainment index: ***
The best feature of this Web site is the sheer variety of activities and the different skill levels they appeal to. Children can do a lot of different things, from coloring the pictures in Dragon Tales to connecting the dots with Barney or singing karaoke. They can "arrange furniture" or create music, so the site appeals to a lot of interests and skills.
The only weakness, which is, oddly enough, also a strength, is the strong tie-in to TV characters such as Barney or Wimzie. The kids know and love those characters, but it also makes the site feel a little commercialized.
I was somewhat less charmed about putting the kids on hold while I downloaded the Shockwave player to use some of the games. But it was pretty fast and, once the program was loaded, the kids were very pleased.
It's an easy site to use, so it takes only seconds to get an activity going for even a 3-year-old. At that age, the problem isn't the site but teaching the child to use the mouse.
PBS' kids page is colorful and features all the favorite children's characters from Arthur to Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street and Theodore Tugboat. There are activities involving Teletubbies, which is great news for parents of 2-year-olds, if you can stand them long enough to help the toddler navigate through them.
The graphics are bright and cheerful.
But the best part is that most activities are designed to help a child reason and figure things out.
It's aimed at children who are young, probably up to about age 7. For them, it's highly entertaining.
E-MAIL: lois@desnews.com