It takes a thief and perfect hair

It may be the off-season for most software celebrities, but superstar Barbie is all over the CD-ROM map. She's getting a makeover and supplying the same for her devoted fans. <br><br>Afterward, she

Friday, February 25th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

It may be the off-season for most software celebrities, but superstar Barbie is all over the CD-ROM map. She's getting a makeover and supplying the same for her devoted fans.

Afterward, she makes off for a beach vacation where she plays sleuth in her second detective title. Here's a look at the glamour queen's two latest showpieces:

BARBIE DIGITAL MAKEOVER
Maker: Mattel Media
Rating: 3 stars
System: Windows 95/98
Price: $29.95
More information: 1-888-628-8359; www.mattelmedia.com

If grown-ups can have makeover software, why not little girls? This Barbie inspiration is a good idea for younger ones who like the idea of dress-up and fantasy play. But don't count on girls ages 9 to 12 being interested.
The program comes with sophisticated tooling. Girls as young as 5 and 6 can get mom to help put pictures of their own faces into the computer via a photo CD or a digital camera. Just as in the adult makeover programs, a girl will have greater success with an image in which her hair is pulled back.

Once the picture is imported onto a special screen, girls can transform their images. This is a good introduction to digital imaging for the older girl. Once the face is aligned, makeover artists can go to work.

The makeover studio houses the makeup, accessories and hairstyle changes. The hair salon is a slick area with sophisticated icons. A pair of scissors means haircut. A hair brush, for instance, is used if you want to grow your hair for longer hairdos. Click on the brush symbol, hold the mouse down on the hair and drag downward to lengthen your locks.

Girls will probably linger in the hair area, where they can shampoo, play around with coloring (they can even dye or streak their hair pink) and try on barrettes. Oddly, mascara is in the hair area rather than the makeup area, but girls will still delight in making their eyes look grown-up.

Lipsticks are applied using the same mouse technique as brushing and is pretty mistakeproof for less-than-steady hands. Bear down on the stroking for deeper shade. The same method applies for blush and eye shadow. If the look proves too much, a virtual towel and handy cotton ball can remove makeup.

And there is popular glitter/glam wear to add sparkle to a new look. An accessories area gives models baubles -- earrings, necklaces, even face decals -- to finish their look. When done, girls get to place a glamour shot in a special gallery area for viewing.

The program also comes with its own cool music to do makeovers by. Put it in your CD player, skip Track 1 and the whole thing plays as an audio CD. I see an instant makeover party in the future for many lucky girls.
If there is no way to get personal photo images into the software program, girls can have fun making over Barbie and her diverse friends, Christie, Kira and Teresa.

BARBIE DETECTIVE 2: THE VACATION MYSTERY
Maker: Mattel Media
Rating: 3 stars
System: Windows 95/98
Price: $29.95
More information: 1-888-628-8359; www.mattelmedia.com
Barbie's first attempt at detective work, Carnival Caper, was ho-hum. It must have had something to do with the scenery. But a beach resort has more potential for action, fun and adventure.

Girls, get ready to join Team Barbie Detective, where other guests help solve a 100-year-old mystery at the hotel. Among the many secrets hidden in the place is buried treasure. In the game, you search for the treasure in a race against an unknown thief.

Barbie is with you every step of the way, actually showing good detective skills. Thanks to a sign-on screen with preprogrammed names, she addresses you personally. That is, if your name is not exotic or made up. Becky, a new friend in this title, is on hand as the crackerjack cybersleuth who knows how to work the on-screen crime computer. Click on her face, and she comes up with good tips, too.
Ken's there as well, and he's more than just a pretty face. In the prompts, you are encouraged to listen to him.

You also must pay attention to clues. A green highlight means you've stumbled onto one, and pink means you've found a tool that can get you into hiding places or past locked doors. A Clues menu lets you know if you're hot or cold.

In pursuit of clues and suspects, try out some of the adventure games. In a boat chase, use the mouse as you and Barbie speed over the waves to catch the suspect. The mouse serves as the boat's steering wheel. There are also hang-gliding and beach races in this title, whose animation is improved from previous releases.

Find a suspect, and Becky feeds the suspect's picture and other collected information into the crime computer and gives her opinion. Don't be surprised if you have to go back to the drawing board. After two cracks at solving the crime, I'm still on the case.

Rating system: 5 stars = excellent; 4 stars = very good; 3 stars = average; 2 stars = fair; 1 star = oh, no.