In Brief

By Wilson Rothman

OLYM-POKE GOLD A heated exhibition of skill, reflex and endurance will begin in Sydney next week. No, not the Olympics. It's the first Pokemon World Championship. In case you're clueless--or past age 14--here's how it works: players "train" six creatures on their Nintendo Game Boys, upload them to virtual stadiums and they bludgeon one another into comas. U.S. hopes rest on national champ Ian Garvey, 13, from New Hope, Pa.

VIDEO BABY SITTER Ever notice how quickly children get bored, yet how intently they'll watch the same video over and over? Apparently Sony has. Its MovieTime VCR for kids repeats tapes as many times as you want, and when it's fast-forwarding or rewinding, animals bounce across the screen. The computer-generated cartoons are rudimentary, but what do you expect from a $99 machine? One more youth-minded feature: a safety lock on the tape slot to keep out food.

OH, THE IRONY From the people who wish they had brought you the iMac comes a line of translucent, fruit-colored irons. Yes, irons. Proctor-Silex's $45 appliances, available in strawberry, lime, tangerine or blueberry, may not have microchips, but they are equipped with essentials like auto shut-off, adjustable steam and nonstick soleplates.

--By Wilson Rothman