Walk down athletic memory lane with “Olympic Gold” (S.E.A. Multimedia, $39.95, 800-762-2189). With more than 100 video clips, 2,000 photographs and a detailed history of the Games since 1896, you can relive old triumphs, like Mary Lou Retton’s gold-winning vault in 1984.
Animal lovers will fall for “Dogz: Your Computer Pet” (PF. Magic, $19.95, 800-48-ADOPT). Click on a doghouse to choose a pup; she’ll wiggle, overeat and frisk among your icons. Using the mouse, you can give her a scratch, dig her blissed-out posture and train her to do tricks.
For the tot who knows where the big bucks are, “3D Movie Maker” (Microsoft Home, $44.95, 800-4269400) is the perfect creativity tool. Using 12 scenes and multiple camera angles, 40 actors, 200 musical tracks and hundreds of sound effects, your budding Scorsese can produce a sophisticated animated short.
The “Eyewitness Encyclopedia of Nature” and “Eyewitness History of the World” (Dorling Kindersley, $39.95 each, 800-356-6575) take advantage of digital technology while remaining models of engaging clarity. Browse and graze your way to a better-in-formed mind.
Redshift 2 from Maris Multimedia ($49.95, 800-639-8717) is the perfect gift for the astronomer in your life. Novices can start out with any one of 10 animated lessons, which include the big bang and the Milky Way, while more experienced users can simulate an exploration of the galaxy that includes planets, stars, asteroids and comets.
Save quarters with Full Tilt!, an insidiously addictive pinball game from Maxis ($29.95, 510-933-5630.) The game offers three different versions for your Windows 95 PC, mimicking the real experience with great graphics, cool sound effects and features like the “nudge,” which lets a player risk a tilt by jostling the table.
If you’ve ever wondered how cockroaches get from the kitchen drain to your bed, “Bad Mojo” (Pulse Entertainment, $54.95, 310-264-5579) will show you. At the game’s start you become a roach and descend through a sewage pipe into the basement. To become human again, you must crawl from scene to scene in order to figure out how to return to a higher karmic order.
