Prepare for takeoff on your gaming system

So often we hear from adults that they have no idea what gifts to get for kids. One simple suggestion is a video game. You'd be hard-pressed to find a child who doesn't have at least one gaming system--many have multiple choices, including their computers. There are some great selections for every age group.

We can hear the cheers already when youngsters find out about the updated version of the best-selling kids baseball video game of all time: Backyard Baseball. The 2007 version is full of top Major League Baseball pros as kids, including current superstars Albert Pujols (on the cover), Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, and Ichiro Suzuki, to name a few. It features all 30 MLB teams, plus 10 Backyard teams. Choose from the diverse pool of players to play single games or a full season with complete stats and standings. From Humongous, Inc., the kid-friendly, nonviolent game is rated E for Everyone and available on PS2, PC, and GBA. Backyard Sports, the only brand licensed by all professional U.S. sports leagues, also offers Backyard Basketball starring All-Star Paul Pierce and Backyard Football with Super Bowl champion QB Ben Roethlisberger.

You can't go wrong with the PC offerings from Kutoka Interactive, Montreal, Canada. The award-winning Mia Big Adventure Collection is edutainment at its best, with outstanding 3D graphics, delightful characters, and story-based gameplay that make learning fun. In The Search for Grandma's Remedy, players pick up such literacy skills as spelling, phonics, and comprehension while they help Mia find the ingredients for her grandmother's medicine. In Romaine's New Hat, Romaine finds the hat that Mia "borrowed" from her mother and now players must help her find a way to get it back, all the while discovering age-appropriate science topics including plants and animals, weather, and electricity. In Just in Time, math concepts are cleverly integrated into the plot as Mia tries to find the parts needed to assemble a time machine. In The Kidnap Caper, Mia must locate her beloved grandmother in this adventure that teaches Spanish or French as a second language, including the alphabet, hundreds of everyday words, and simple sentence construction.

Another returning old favorite is Pac-Man World Rally from Namco Bandai Games America. In this fast-paced kart racing game, players can compete against the computer or friends as Pac-Man or other Namco characters. Available on PS2, PSR GC, and PC, it is rated E.

Younger players will enjoy The Game Factory's Noddy: A Day in Toyland on GBA and Strawberry Shortcake and Her Berry Best Friends for the PC. In the appealing Noddy series, the cheerful little wooden boy drives around Toyland helping any friend in need. Visitors to Strawberryland can play 10 fun games, collect sweet things for Strawberry Shortcake's scrapbook, and play with characters from the Strawberry Shortcake Universe. Both games are designed for preschoolers and up.

Another Strawberry Short-cake offering is based on "The Sweet Dreams Movie." In the Majesco Entertainment game for GBA, fans can play as their favorite characters from the series as they work together to save Strawberryland and beat the Purple Pieman. Additionally, they can watch real clips from the movie. Rated E.

With Majesco Entertainment's Cooking Mama, gamers can learn how to cook with their DS. Budding chefs first must prepare foods by using the stylus in the more than 200 mini-games to chop, grate, mix, etc. as they master 76 real world recipes. Use the stylus to prepare the final layout of the meal and cool it down by blowing into the DS microphone. Recipes can be combined for more advanced dishes and shared through the wireless link. Rated E.

Popular characters from the Cartoon Network's "The Grim Adventures of Bill & Mandy" are pitted against each other in this Midway Home Entertainment game. Gamers can become part of this uniquely bizarre world as they play as one of 15 characters and visit the unpredictable environments seen on the show. This fighting-adventure game is rated E 10+ due to cartoon violence and crude humor and is available on PS2 and GC.

Nancy Drew: Danger by Design, from Her Interactive, finds the heroine undercover in Paris to unravel an international mystery in the fashion world. Players can choose Junior or Senior detective level as they explore French landmarks, translate clues, and solve intricate puzzles. Rated E, this PC game is recommended for mystery fans ages 10 to adult.

Bratz: Forever Diamondz, from THQ, brings fans another exciting fashion adventure as Cloe, Jade, Sasha, and Yasmin team up to compete in the "America Rocks Fashion" TV show, sending them on a cross-country road trip to find the best fashion designers. Available on GC, PS2, GBA, and DS. Rated E.

THQ also has released two new games based on Nickelodeon shows. "Unfabulous," the live-action show starring Emma Roberts, follows the hectic life of main character Addle Singer. In the GBA version, players will tag along with the seventh-grader and help her write music, perform at open mic nights, and play alongside crush Jake in his favorite video game, Venus Fly Trap 4. In Danny Phantom: Urban Jungle, a powerful ghost has turned Amity Park into an urban jungle and Danny must battle through the twisted thorns and monstrous vegetation to save his family and friends. Players will pilot the Fenton Flier through ghostly 3D worlds attacking all new enemies in frenzied shooter action. For GBA and DS, the latter offers wireless multiplayer mode. Rated E, with cartoon violence.