Singing Coach, 4.6 stars, Carry-A-Tune Technologies, www.carryatune.com, $50 ($100 for the unlimited version), Win ME, Win 2000, Win XP (128MB RAM, Pentium II, 400 MHz), Microphone/headset required, ages 7- up.

This innovative set of singing lessons lets you see your own voice, in real time, on the screen. This is a good tool for providing ear training for a choir member who needs some extra practice, or a family that can't afford professional vocal lessons. Note that you'll need a special headset microphone to make this work properly—the hardware is included in the Unlimited version. If you buy the $50 starter version, you'll have to buy your own headset mike; the $100 "Unlimited" version (which we reviewed) includes everything you need.

The heart of the program is the Singing Window, where the pitches/notes are represented in line graph form. As the words and notes of a song move by, your voice appears as a "Pitch Tracking Line" -- so you can "see" your voice. Karaoke Revolution for the PlayStation 2 uses a similar system, without the notes. After you sing a song, the computer calculates how close your voice is to the central pitch and gives you a score.

The 20 lessons in the tutorial section are well designed, walking you through the basics of singing, from warming up properly to exercising. Your progress is automatically saved. Classroom teachers will want to note that the Unlimited Version of the program keeps progress for just six people. Content on the CD includes 30 vocal exercises (e.g., octave drills), and 45 songs, ranging from easy ("Go Tell It on the Mountain") to hard ("Star Spangled Banner"). Other tools include a metronome, and the ability to change the tempo,accompanying instrument, volume and key. There's an online store of new songs that we did not test,and the ability to import your own songs by way of MIDI microphone.

The software is well designed, professionally narrated, and the technology worked without a glitch on our HP Pavilion zd7000. If you're looking for an affordable source of singing lessons, this package is well worth the time and money.