Young Techs
BY M.M. BUECHNER

It's time to kick the kids out of the home office -- PCs are cheap and digital toys are proliferating fast.Here are some top product choices for the wired playroom:

For Ages Two to Five

1 eTower, eMachines, $399 (plus the 15-in. monitor, $129 more), packs plenty of power -- a 366-MHz processor, 4-GB hard drive, 64 MB of RAM and a USB port for easy-connect peripherals, such as JamCam Jr., KBGear Interactive, $39, a digital camera that stores 12 images.

2 Winnie-the-Pooh-style Learning Keyboard, $50, and Little Tykes Cozy Coupe Mouse, $20, both KBGear, brighten up a child's desktop. TalkAbout T289 two-way radio, Motorola, $199 a pair, awaits Dad's call ("Dinner!").

3 Elmo's Computer Phone, the Learning Co., $40, "rings" cd-rom friends and delivers prerecorded messages from Mom.

4 LeapPad, LeapFrog, $60, a laptop-style device for storytelling and other activities ("Find California"), uses an attached scanner pen fat enough for lit tle hands to maneuver.

5 Software abounds for this age group--$30 titles from the Learning Co. star Elmo, Little Bear and Arthur. Don't overlook babyWOW! 2000, BowWow House, $30, for wee ones learning keyboard cause and effect.

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PHOTO FOR TIME DIGITAL BY CHIP SIMONS