In a world of ultraviolent video games, where dexterity of the thumb and index finger is infinitely more important than the flexing of the cerebrum, there must be a place for children and their parents to interact and actually learn something from that overpriced multimedia computer/gaming system. Take a deep breath and enter the ROMper Room, where learning is a four-letter word - cool.
Ever since Elizabeth Taylor appeared in "National Velvet" in 1944, few little girls have not dreamed of having their own horse. Even if a back yard is too small for a stable, that dream can come true with Barbie's Riding Club (Mattel Media, $34.99; for Windows 95 systems).
Girls 5 and older can experience the fun and excitement of having their own four-legged friends along with learning real-life companionship and interactive skills as they join Barbie and the other Riding Club members.
Besides trying to solve the mystery of the wild horse, they can enjoy such other activities as competing against friends, Christie and Teresa, through the forest or on the beach and guiding Barbie on other adventures.
Virtual riders are given a realistic perspective on horseback riding when the screen view is changed, which gives the feeling of riding, jumping and racing.
Girls who complete Riding Club missions, such as aiding other members, caring for their horses or competing in shows, earn printable certificates, ribbons and badges for their efforts.
In addition to the adventures, Barbie's Riding Club also contains a computer pet that must be fed, nurtured and groomed. There are six horses from which to choose, each with its own coloring and personality.
Riding Club members are encouraged to learn about horses, concentrating on the different breeds, such as the palomino, paint and dapple-gray, through the program's library.
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Rafiki the baboon takes 3- to 7-year-olds on exciting new adventures in African lands with Lion King II: Simba's Pride Active Play (Disney Interactive, $29.99; for Windows 95 systems).
Children are introduced to five animal-themed activities with help from Timon, Pumbaa, Kiara and Kovu.
The program features many of the "Lion King" movie songs and offers young composers the chance to create music with their long-necked giraffe buddies. The disc can be played just to hear the soundtrack, but it also features games.
For example, a game called Hippo Challenge requires children to move a purple hippopotamus out of a red hippo's way so that he can reach the beach for a lunch-time snack. Another game features four monkeys sitting on a tree performing a series of actions, one at a time. The child must click on the monkeys in the order that they acted to be rewarded with a series of silly movements.
A matching game requires children to listen for the roars of animals in the tall savanna grass and link up mother and cub by sound.
After each game, children can sing and dance along with a song about each animal. Timon instructs the child to make a series of movements that emulate the animal - such as puffing out cheeks for the hippo or scratching the head like a monkey.
Players also can build their own animals in the part of the program called Rafiki's Picture Paint Box, where children can change an animal's pose with a click of the mouse.
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The Rugrats Movie Activity Challenge (Broderbund, $29.99 ages 6 to 12 for Macintosh and Windows 95 systems) presents Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, Dil (the newest Rugrat) and their friends in a series of adventures, brain games and printing projects designed to enhance creativity, critical thinking, memory and computer skills.
It should take 6- to 12-year-olds a while to master all 180 levels of difficulty found in six games inspired by the movie.
In Aqua Reptar, players navigate the Reptar (the Rugrats' wind-up, slightly reptilian-looking vehicle) through a maze loaded with falling rocks and banana-pelting monkeys that are out to soak the children in the river.
In another challenge, Traffic Trouble, players try to navigate the Reptar full of babies across seven lanes of busy traffic (yes, a bit twisted).
Making Tracks is a puzzle that requires players to slide railroad track pieces together so that all the Rugrats can be picked up and delivered safely. One of my favorites, Monkey Mayhem, requires that children react quickly, jumping on a seesaw at the right time to rescue Dil and gather jars of baby food.
The CD-ROM features the original voices from the movie along with a soundtrack.
ROMper Room is a column devoted to finding the best of multimedia "edutainment." Calls, letters or faxes about a particular column or suggestions for future columns are always welcome. Write to Joseph Szadkowski, The Washington Times, 3600 New York Ave. NE, Washington, D.C. 20002; call 202/636-3016; or send e-mail (joseph@twtmail.com).
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DOUBLE TROUBLE
* Running Wild, by 989 Studios (For Sony PlayStation, $39.95) - With the younger crowd in mind, the Crash Bandicoot folks have put together racing games featuring six cartoony animal characters that must avoid lava fields, frozen rivers and an elbow in the snout. This high-speed 3-D game allows difficulty levels to be adjusted and lets up to four players take part in the action.
* Rosco McQueen: Firefighter Extreme, by Psygnosis (For Sony PlayStation, $44.95) - Battle intense flames in towering infernos and save innocent people from Sylvester T. Square and his army of evil arsonist robots in this free-roaming 3-D action game.
Rosco takes 8- to 12-year-olds on 15 levels of danger with 12 fire hazards, including back drafts, electrical fires and flame overs. Using only an ax and hose and the help of his wacky high-tech sidekick, Digit, our hero shows the dangers of fire. Rosco looks great, and it is nice to see a firefighter as a video-game hero, but Psygnosis should have taken the opportunity to emphasize fire safety lessons.
* Activision Classics, by Activision (For Sony PlayStation, $29.95) - Former owners of one of the grandfathers of video-game systems, the Atari 2600, can revisit 30 titles developed in the 1980s. From Pitfall to Chopper Command to Kaboom, these games look, sound and play like the original versions.