http:library.advanced.org1771

This is a stylish Web site designed to encourage science education, with sections devoted to physics, chemistry and biology. There are experiments that you can print out, graphics giving you a guided tour of a cell or an atom, puzzles and information on current scientific topics such as cloning.

Although you can use the site with a basic Internet browser, some of the pages only work with more advanced software, but it is probably fitting that this kind of site should experiment with the latest in Internet gadgetry.

What makes this a cut above other science sites is that beneath the flashing graphics there is a solid core of knowledge, including a detailed on-line guide that accompanies each area of the site.

United Nations Children’s Fund

www.unicef.org

Even though UNICEF has dropped the “emergency” from its full title , there are no shortages of emergencies in which this international relief and development agency is expected to assist.

This site provides an overview of the problems children face in regions blighted with war, famine and poverty, with information about how UNICEF seeks to help.

On the question of whether its campaigning has had any impact on the lives of children, the Web site points to global improvements in infant mortality figures and an increase in access to primary education and vaccination programmes.

The site also makes the point that UNICEF does not receive any funding from the United Nations and explains how schools can help to raise funds.

Sean Coughlan