Despite a few quirks, any die-hard 'N Sync fan will certainly go gagaover the'N Sync Hotline Fantasy Phone and CD-ROM Game. After all, whatyoung girl wouldn't swoon over Justin Timberlake calling at bedtime to say, "Hi,it's Justin. I just called to say goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let thebedbugs bite"? Yes, this unique combination toy cell phone and interactive gamelets you receive virtual calls and special messages from all the 'N Sync boys,as well as play a handful of games featuring none other than Justin, Lance, JC,Joey, and Chris.

The phone itself is the main attraction. After connecting it to the game port onyour computer with the included cable, you tell the program your name, thenenter your birthday and bedtime, and you'll receive personalized messages atthese times. You can also download up to five messages at a time from any of theband members (out of dozens of possible messages from each guy), and you'll getperiodic calls from them. Or, if you don't answer the phone right away, themessages will be delivered to your "voice mail" where you can listen to themlater. You can also call each member of the band and ask the guys "yes" or "no"questions, à la Magic Eight Ball. If you're exceptionally creative orsilly, this can be the most amusing part of the game.

The five games for your PC, on the other hand, are nothing short of strange (orstupid, depending on how you look at it) and anyone will probably quickly tireof playing them. In the bowling game, for example, you send a ball down the laneto hit bowling pins that have the heads of the 'N Sync guys. If you knock themover or land your ball in the gutter, they'll either congratulate you on yourskills or make fun of you. We found it nearly impossible to knock over all thepins, and quickly irritating, no matter how dreamy we thought a miniJustin-headed bowling pin was. And, though not necessary, you can use the phone as acontroller for all the games while it's connected to the computer. However,after fumbling around with the controls, we found it much easier to just use thekeyboard and mouse.

The best of the pack is the trivia game, which is pretty cut-and-dry. The gameasks questions about the members of the band, and you have to guess what Joey'sfavorite color is or which guy likes French fries. Some of the trivia is prettyjuicy, and some just plain weird. The only reward for completing these games isa new message from the guys that you can download to your phone.

But, being forgiving 'N Sync fans ourselves, we found the phone to be prettycool, generally entertaining, and something we consistently want to show off toour friends. (Ages 8 and older)--Ara Jane Olufson