Plastic fantastic

If you're looking for a computer which is a little out of the ordinary, something to make a welcome change from the traditional rectangular beige box we have all come to know and loath, we might just have exactly what you're looking for. Not only does it sport some sexy curves and a custom paint job, it even comes with a carrying handle to make it easier to lug out to a LAN party, and a free digital camera to take photos with once you get there. And at just $700 plus shipping and handling, it won't punch a big ugly hole in your bank balance either.

The Intel Celeron 500MHz processor at the heart of the system might not be a power-house by today's standards, but with a bit of overclocking it should still give acceptable frame rates in your favourite games, although we've a feeling that the built-in graphics aren't likely to be much cop. On the bright side it comes with a 10Gb hard drive to hold all your MP3s (upgradeable to 20Gb), as well as anything up to 128Mb of RAM, and a compact 15" monitor. There are even four USB ports to plug all your peripherals into, and a keyboard, mouse, mouse mat, digital camera and amplified speakers are supplied, all sporting the same racey look as the computer itself.

Yes, it's the .. Barbie PC!

The very heighth of fashion, indeed. Sadly the host of bundled software is likely to be of little use to hardened gamers - the only game (and we use that term in the loosest possible sense) included is "Myst", and most of the software is of the "Barbie Riding Club" and "Barbie Cool Looks Fashion Designer" variety. Unless of course you would like to design new clothes for Barbie in "vivid 3D [with] more than 35 vibrant colors and 80 different choices of fabric pattern"... We suspect not though.