Play, Then Get Serious

Portable video games have just gotten smarter. The new game.com system offers not only multiple games, but personal organizer and communications features.

Due out later this month from Tiger Electronics, game.com, like Nintendo’s Game Boy, offers a variety of games with graphics, animation, speech and music that can be played on its black and white screen by inserting different cartridges.

The screen is touch-sensitive, meaning a user can play games or activate other functions by touching the screen with a finger or a stylus, which is included. Its built-in Solitaire is fun to play, as is the Lights Out game card that comes with the unit.

Other cartridge games will be available for $19.95 or $29.95. Titles include: Batman & Robin, Duke Nukem 3D, Mortal Kombat Trilogy, Wheel of Fortune, Henry, Indy 500, Quiz Whiz and Jurassic Park: The Lost World.

Game.com’s more serious side includes built-in organizer functions, among them a phone directory, calendar and calculator. There’s also an Internet cartridge and cable ($19.95) that enable a game.com user to plug into a computer modem to access text on the Net and e-mail capability.

* $69.95 at major retailers or call Tiger Electronics, (888) 844-7767).

Ring Masters: Miracle Plant Coaster is a great idea. It is a 100% acrylic coaster that can be slipped under plant or flower pots to keep tables, floors or carpeting clean and dry.

Each dark green coaster can absorb more than eight times its weight in liquids in case you’ve overwatered, and a nonslip vinyl backing protects surfaces from water damage or scratches.

The lightweight Miracle Plant Coasters are stain and mildew resistant. A set includes two 8-inch and two 10-inch coasters.

* $9.99 a set, including shipping and handling, from RPM Inc., (800) 872-8201.