Finding the best software for kids. I'm Fred Fishkin with Bootcamp, a report on computers and technology. A lot of parents have spent a lot of money on software for children only to see the kids get bored with it after an hour, or even less. One of the best places to turn to before you buy is the Children's Software Revue. It was launched by a group of former teachers more than five years ago...and offers unbiased reviews of hundreds of programs. CSR publishes a quarterly newsletter, but also lets you search through reviews for free on the web at childrenssoftware.com. Editor Warren Buckleitner says there are some bargains out there...

"There are some real good values from Humongous on the shelves. For example, you can get Backyard Baseball, which is a phenomenal title, our testers just keep going back and back and back to that, for 8.99. You can also get the Freddi Fish titles, which are again, proven. These are programs your kids will come back to or you can sit down as a family and play them together."

Also getting rave reviews, the Lego Mindstorms system that lets children program robotic lego creations, and a program called Pinball Science from DK software. And the Where in the USA and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego titles from Broderbund are at the top too along with Microsoft's Encarta Reference Suite 99.