Fun-filled viewing for the kid in all of us

Clearly, it's not a well-kept secret that the holidays bring out the kid in all of us. Whether it's setting up a train set or playing with the children's new toys, we can't help but think back to years past and the traditions we bring with us. The season wouldn't be the same if we didn't watch the same movies year after year. With the prevalence of DVDs on the market, it is easier to watch them on our own schedule.

Classic Media, New York, has the ultimate holiday entertainment collection, The Original Television Christmas Classics ($39.98). This set includes "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Frosty the Snowman," "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," "The Little Drummer Boy," and "Frosty Returns." In addition to a bonus DVD with "Cricket on the Hearth," there is a music CD with 12 classic holiday songs, and animated music videos with Destiny's Child singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and Mariah Carey performing "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town." This package has something for everyone.

Also on tap from Classic Media is "The Dick Tracy Show" ($39.98), which includes 130 original cartoon episodes in a four-disc set. This collector's edition also contains an exclusive 64-page Chester Gould comic book featuring three of the detective's earliest adventures. Additionally, available on DVD for the first time in North America, is the two-disc set ($21.98) including "Gojira," the Japanese version with English subtitles and "Godzilla, King of the Monsters," the Americanized version starring Raymond Burr. Arguably one of the greatest monster movies of all time, this anti-nuclear film includes audio commentaries and original theatrical trailers. For more information, visit www.classicmedia.tv.

We've been having some fun with the "Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman" from Lean Forward Media. This interactive DVD puts viewers in charge of the story by using their remote to change what happens next. There are 11 possible endings to this story which finds three kids (voiced by Frankie Muniz, Lacey Chabert, and Daryl Sabara) searching for their uncle (William H. Macy) who has gone missing in the Himalayas while looking for the Yeti. For more information, visit www.choosemovie.com.

From Nickelodeon Studios come new releases of some of our favorite Nick shows. "SpongeBob SquarePants: Karate Island" ($16.99) contains seven episodes from season four, each approximately 11 minutes in length. A bonus is the SpongeBob Karate Chops interactive game where viewers can help our favorite zany character pick his moves as SpongeBob and Sandy battle it out. "LazyTown: Records Day" ($16.99) features four episodes from this innovative series designed to get kids up off the couch and moving along with Stephanie, Sportacus and the LazyTown kids. In the "Records Day" episode, the characters try to break records for being physically active while villain Robbie Rotten tries to set a record for "The World's Laziest Town." Special features include interactive exercise activities. Four episodes of the top-rated action adventure series are included in "Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1: Water--Volume 4" ($16.99), as Aang, Katara, and Sokka continue on their quest to restore world order.

A legendary children's television series is back, as Hit Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment have released "Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock: Complete Second Season" ($49.98). Premiering in 1983, this inventive program strived to embrace diversity through the adventures of Red, Gobo, Wembley, Boober, Mokey, and Uncle Traveling Matt, and included a unique mix of music from folk, blues, and gospel to country and rock. Bonus features include a special tribute to co-creator Jerry Juhl, a replica of Jim Henson's original pitch book, and interviews with cast and crew. For more information, call 866-405-7625.

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