Nobody-kid or adult-can walk by Tonka Power Tools (Hasbro) without wanting to give it a try. What you get is this very cool virtual tool that plugs into your computer (gameport and monitor) that can help you design, build, and customize cars, robots, wooden forts, machines, etc. in 3 different onscreen Tonka labs: the Vehicle Engineering Center, the Wood Shop, and the Tech Lab. The CD-ROM also includes three games: Tonka Raceway Pit Stop, The Safe Game, and the Tonka Towers Game. These are fast paced jaunts where kids race against the clock. So how does this thing work? In the three different labs, kids first choose the body sections for a project. such as assembling a wooden fort. Using the power tool (don't worry, it has a screen-safe Teflon tip), kids click their choices on the screen. They then pick the tool they want (glue, rivets, and a belt sander are the choices in this section) to bind the pieces together. Once the project is designed and connected, kids get to the fun stuff: painting and adding the accessories! In building a fort, this could mean adding a drawbridge, a flag, a coat of arms, a window, a gated door, and so on. For each accessory, kids must choose the appropriate tool to attach it. In the case of a drawbridge, a few twists on the power tool tip brings up the screwdriver tool. Kids then hold the tip to the screen to drill the screws into the fort. This is a great way to help kids learn which tools are good for which projects. Once all the accessories are added, kids can save their works of art, or print them out. Projects can also be emailed to friends and family. With 24-power tool tips available during specific times in the game (be sure not to miss the arc welder, blow torch, jig saw, wire cutters, pattern tool, scraper, nail gun, air pump, and rivet gun), kids keep coming back for more. (Why haven't they made a real life tool like this yet?) The three games use the tools as part of the game action, like being part of a pit crew. There are three different levels, so there's something to move up to as kids tool techniques improve. This package is a sure-fire hit!