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The recent onslaught of TV shows like CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and movies like Spy Kids have piqued an interest in forensic science, nature and adventure among adult and child consumers alike. The latest discoveries in this category allow wannabe scientists to go from passive observers to directors of the action. Kids can now act out the fantasies of these shows as they analyze clues from the scene of a crime, experiment with mysterious substances or even excavate a buried dinosaur from beneath the sands of the earth.

PLAYTHINGS conducted its own 'investigation' into this new trend. Our conclusion: Inquiring minds are sure to be educated and entertained by these new offerings.

Retailers can expect aspiring spies to be knocking down their doors with warrants for spy products after this summer's release of Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over from Miramax. The excitement of this film is destined to trickle down to the retail level, where consumers will be eager to get their hands on merchandise that lets them assume the role of super sleuths.

Private eyes ages 6 and up will have no trouble cracking the case with the Mystery Detective Forensic Science Kit from Scientific Explorer. After gathering and organizing the facts on a game board, junior sleuths must use their gut instinct to determine whodunnit.

The kit fosters critical-thinking skills as kids rack their brains for motives for the crime and identify potential suspects. It also introduces them to the scientific method, as they learn how to use certain investigative tools like litmus (pH) paper to identify substances.

Good spies never reveal their secrets! And thanks to the SpyGear line from Wild Planet Toys, they won't have to. Multiple agents can coordinate their next move using Eye-Link Communicators, one of the latest additions to this line.

By typing a message on the adjustable arm-pad, an agent can communicate with a partner up to 200 feet away without having to utter a word. A text message appears on the fellow agent's screen with a two-character identification code, so that multiple players know who sent each message appearing on their screen.

Intruders, beware! Kids can now secure the premises with the Tech-Link Bio-Scan Room Guardian from DSI Toys. With this hand-scanning security system, kids can safely store "classified" documents in their rooms. Access is denied to any entrant whose handprint the scanner doesn't recognize and who doesn't know the secret code. Sound and light alarms are set off in response to intruders who aren't pre-authorized to enter the room.

Agents can rest assured that their secret is safe when they can't be there to protect it. The agent can check the device when he or she returns to see how many attempts were made to enter the room and how many of those attempts were successful. The scanner is recommended for detectives ages 5 and up.

There's just something about it: Kids seem to be drawn to the icky, gooey-ness of slime. Now there's a slew of new offerings that let kids roll up their sleeves—or not! Kids ages 8 and up can concoct their own slime using ingredients from Oobleck, a slime science kit from Scientific Explorer. They can endow the slime with different physical properties, making it glittery, glow-in-the-dark or extra slippery. They can even create Glook, a bouncing slime.

Little enthusiasts will be inspired to learn more about the science of slime by performing the experiments recommended in the kit, which also includes basic chemistry facts and explanations for the ooey-gooey action occurring right before their very eyes, in their very own hands.

Hasbro's Micro Machines line includes a number of miniature vehicles that let kids assume the role of the hero and perform incredible acts of bravery as they dream up their own action-adventure scenes. Safety is the No. 1 priority for kids using the Chemical Clean-Up playset. A team of chemical specialists must suit-up and prepare to clear the sludge "leaking" from the chemical plant before it inflicts any damage on the surrounding environment.

Kids ages 6 and up can explore the mysteries of the universe with Alien Agency, a line of construction playsets and characters from Mega Bloks. They can join Agent Hazard, Agent Hardhammer and a team of other scientists as they study these mysterious life forms. Agents can experiment on extraterrestrial creatures and perform alien autopsies in the D.N.A. Lab. Or they can travel to the Hangar 18, inside which exists a secret laboratory where a downed UFO is stored and the aliens traveling inside it are kept prisoner. Each playset includes alien skeletons, creator molds and a special Bioplasm compound that kids can use to mold their very own alien.

Paleontologists-in-training will accrue all the field experience they need with the Mold-A-Saurus set from Small World Toys, available in T-Rex and Stegosaurus models. Using the Sand Mold Set, kids can cast their very own four-foot dinosaur skeleton using damp sand and water, plaster or anything else moldable. Budding archaeologists can get down and dirty in the sand, burying an assortment of 10 to 13 bones, digging up the fossils and then reassembling the bones into a museum-worthy dinosaur replica. The project fosters persistence and patience, as the child must reconstruct the bones like a tried and true paleontologist.

For those who prefer tools, there is Diggin' Up Dinosaurs from NSI. The kit comes with a marsh pick and brush, safety goggles and a plastic carrying case. The tools are used to excavate a plastic dinosaur skeleton from a sand block. Kids can choose between digging up a T-Rex or a Velociraptor, which, Jurassic Park fans may recall, is a vicious predator known for its sharp claws, agility and warp speed.

An entire team of archaeologists can get in on the action with the electronic Dino Xcavator from Uncle Milton that helps kids identify each bone. If the toy's digging tool touches the sides of the excavation pit, the T-Rex will threaten the entire team with a ferocious roar from down below! The team can also discover obscure facts about this extinct species by answering trivia questions included in the kit.