Me2Cam

Copyright: KBkids.com

The Me2Cam will not only let your kids 'see' themselves in action, but it will cause them to get up off that computer chair and MOVE! This may be a novel concept for some young computer buffs.

The Me2Cam sits on top of your monitor, and places your picture into the action on screen. In order to accomplish this you will need to fool with the camera a bit. If you use it at different times of day, you must reset the camera. Shorter children will need the camera moved to a different place than taller ones. This will definitely take adult intervention, but is not hopelessly difficult. The results are fair...nothing spectacular. The pictures are grainy, and quite often you will loose 'pieces' of yourself. Your kids won't care, however.

By moving your body around (you will not use the mouse,) you enter different 'worlds.' Each has a different theme and objective:

Snow Surfin': By moving your body you will guide a snowboard down a hill full of moguls, rocks, and other obstacles.

Fun Zone: In this 'fun house,' you will see yourself morphed into different shapes, as well as become a ballerina, cowboy and more.

Bubblemania: Pop bubbles in this arcade-type game Pinball: Not only are you IN this game, you are the flippers! This one was particularly fun for arcade fans.

Club Tune: Smaller kids will like this one a lot. The faster you dance around, the faster the band plays. This is a great one for hyperactive youngsters who love to move around.

As you would expect, the picture quality is nothing like what you see on the advertisements. It is tolerable, however. They must be given some latitude for trying something truly innovative.

This program will create quite a stir with your children, and their neighbor friends. It has great 'wait 'till you see what we got!' power. It is questionable whether the games themselves will keep your children coming back for long periods of time. This is, however, the wave of the future in computer gaming.

Special note: This camera does not work well as a computer mounted video camera. Do not purchase it for that purpose. You may be able to get it to work in that way, but Intel Play includes no instructions or software for doing so.

Bottom Line: A truly innovative concept! Your kids will enjoy becoming PART of their computer game instead of simply clicking the mouse.

Ratings: (based on KBkids.com's 4 star rating system)

Overall: 4

BrainGain: 2 1/2

FunFactor: 4

EasePlease: 3 (considering the complexity of the idea, set up was fairly easy IF you follow the instructions)

Buy Intel Play Me2Cam Computer Video Camera at Amazon!