Paint-by-numbers, the favorite 1950s pastime, meets modern image-processing programming and the result is paint-by-numbers for the digital generation.

Segmation TM technology, the beauty behind computerized paint-by-numbers, enables designers to dissect images into outlined patterns with customized color palettes.

While an online version lets users "paint" images with the mouse, Segmation designers have optimized this concept with SegPlayPC TM, a powerful desktop program for Windows 2000 and XP.

The expandable SegPlayPC includes twenty images, from classics to modern art and photography at various levels of complexity as some can be defined with 2000 segments!

Users can explore artwork, play with gaming tools, even watch as the artwork automatically composes itself.

With comprehensive features, the program allows standard or full-screen resolutions and provides various work modes.

Painters can also zoom, pan, adjust transparency and texture, auto-advance, customize backgrounds, print, and save.

New users can begin painting with SegPlayPC immediately, and simple projects take just four minutes to complete.

Relaxing, repetitive, and continuously replayable, SegPlayPC also offers infinite variety, with challenging and addictive gaming options: a timer, mistake counter, speed-painting tools, and element tracking.

Appropriate for all ages, SegPlay is most popular with women who grew up with paint-by-numbers.

SegPlay has been available free online for more than five years at Segmation.com, founded by Mark H.

The complete SegPlayPC program costs $24.95(US) and is downloadable at www.segmation.com.