The Argus Photo Phazer DC 2300 digital camera ($70 street price) is more a novelty camera than something that would interest anyone except a kid who believes that shooting pictures with a camera that looks like a gun is a blast.

Its slick design seems right out of Star Trek, hence the name, although it doesn't look exactly like the phasers that Captain Kirk and crew carried.

Still, the DC 2300 is a functioning 0.3-megapixel camera - with several limitations. The 34 mm lens captures about as much detail as you need, given that the image is only 640-by-480 pixels. Such images are suitable for the Web or for e-mail, but not for great prints.

The camera runs on two AA batteries in the pistol grip and connects to a computer via a USB port. It also uses internal memory to store images, so you have to keep track of how many you've stored to save room for a special shot. Its 8-megabyte capacity is not expandable.

The photos were good enough for a novelty camera or toy, but not nearly up to the standards of some other inexpensive digital cameras we've reviewed. But kids will probably love it.

Information: 888-552-7487 or www.arguscamera.com.