Parents may be baffled by the unsolicited beeps and rings coming from this little handheld toy. However, kids will know just what to do to satisfy this virtual pet: supply it with food, clean up its living space (the screen), give it some exercise, or tend to a variety of other caretaking tasks. Giving a baby Tamagotchi adequate attention helps it "age" from an infant to an adult. Ignoring your Tamagotchi will cause the little icon to grow wings and fly back to its planet to seek better care. Kids also earn points on this handheld by playing any of the eight games. Once a bunch of points are racked up, kids can do some pretend shopping and buy virtual gifts or food for their Tamagotchi or for sending to friends with compatible Tamagotchi devices using the infrared technology. This Tamagotchi Connection keeps an electronic list of up to 50 friends and kids can denote each buddy's importance by the number of smiley faces and hearts next to his or her name. There are also five different secret codes that owners can collect to reveal additional surprises on the toy. The Tamagotchi hangs from a key ring that hooks to a belt loop or backpack, ensuring that it is always close by. This particular version comes in a light blue case decorated with tropical flowers and runs on one 3-volt non-rechargeable battery (included).