It is very fashionable here for kids to have portable computer devices. My boys have Psps and Dsis. Their peers all have them, and, therefore, they expect at some stage to get them. The advertising on television doesn't help, as far as being a parent is concerned. The exciting new games that they see advertised make kids want to have the latest thing to play. There is quite a difference between the two devices, so I am told. The Psp has longer games with better graphics. The Dsi, on the other hand, has more variety and shorter games. Cass, for example, can record his voice, take pictures, and then distort both, and add them to a fighting sequence. He can create his own hilarious computer game. The other day, I heard a lot of loud laughter coming from his bedroom. When I investigated, my boys showed me their crazy, newly invented game that had both of them karate kicking, and throwing special power balls at eachother that were made of cropped photos of objects from their bedroom. Hudson, on the other hand, spends time every day trying to go up the various levels of his long games. He has to defeat more monsters, gain more points and weapons, until he can finish. We even have some of their friends calling them to see what level they are at, and if they have any pointers or advice as to how to defeat certain creatures. At the moment, Cass is in the kitchen, making a 'French macaroni and cheese' by following a cooking program on his Dsi. It gives the recipe, the equipment needed, step by step instructions, and extra video information on different foods and cooking methods. The dish is in the oven, and the Dsi is ticking away, timing its cooking. I was a little scared of my son taking the kitchen over. I imagined a complete disaster taking place, but actually he has tidied and cleaned everything! How unusual! That must be one of the instructions from his Dsi.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: portable, to crop, graphics, a pointer.

1. I'm so glad that I have a portable computer, a lap top. I have access to all kinds of information whenever I need it.

2. The wedding photos had too much background, so I cropped them. Now, they mainly show the people.

3. That game needs better graphics; the figures are fuzzy and very simplistic.

4. Could you give me some pointers as to how to grow disease-free roses?