Absolutely the coolest children's art program on the market, Kid Pix Studio Deluxe will keep your budding Warhol or Kahlo inspired and busy for days on end. There's six different art programs in this one little disc, and each program has seemingly endless options; from clip art to brush effects, it's all here. Best of all, it's easy to use. Even the under fives in your house will be able to create fridge art that will be the envy of all their friends. Animation is where this program really shows its stuff, and nearly everything is, or can be, animated. There's in-motion stamps that zoom around on the screen as they leave their inky little marks, goofy puppets just waiting for a musical, and an entire alphabet that brings letters to life in hilarious new ways.
Specially introduced features for this version include the ability to access favourite fonts from other programs, easy sizing of both graphics and text, and a simple way of previewing graphics before adding them to your final creation. Sharing art with friends and family is a cinch, whether it's via e-mail or printing and mailing the old-fashioned way. If you have Internet-ready friends and family, personalised masterpieces--complete with your child's own voice and picture--can be forwarded with nothing more complicated than a click.
And we haven't even mentioned the realistic (and school-friendly) maps. Or the pre-made backgrounds and patterns. Or the crazy blending and mixing effects. Oh, and the zillions of drawing pencils. And did you know it can read typed text out loud? Most likely, you'll soon find yourself limiting your child's computer time just so you get a chance to play, too. --Jill Lightner, Amazon.com
