Product Review: Intel Play's Me2Camera

Be the star in on-screen games<br><br>The marriage of human and computer is becoming more fun, as my 11-year-old tester and I discovered while experiencing Intel Play's Me2Camera.<br><br>With this

Friday, June 23rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Be the star in on-screen games

The marriage of human and computer is becoming more fun, as my 11-year-old tester and I discovered while experiencing Intel Play's Me2Camera.

With this little video camera atop your PC monitor, your young one can star in five interactive, animated games. Her body movements control the on-screen action in real time.

After the Fun Fair software is installed and the tiny see-through camera is plugged into the USB port of your Windows 98 PC, the child is positioned in front of the camera and monitor so that her head and shoulders show in an orange, rectangular box on the screen. The camera eliminates all other images.

She needs to be in the same spot so her movements can be captured for the included games, so I used tape to mark the boundaries on the floor. On screen, your child is shown boarding a space ship that takes her to Fun Fair, where she can take her pick of games. My tester initially chose to be the flippers in a pinball machine but moved on quickly after being clobbered. The snowboarding game was action-filled and a lot more rewarding, though she missed a few jumps over rocks, trees and other surfers. The other three games, Bubble Mania, Club Tune and Fun Zones, will be big hits, too, for kids 4 and up way up to fortysomethings.

During the action, the camera takes shots of the player and places them in a digital photo album. Photos can printed out after the youngster leaves Fun Fair.

For more information on the $99 Me2Cam, visit www.intelplay.com or call 1-800-524-8697.