SO, you've got a new computer for Christmas, and you don't know what to do with it.

Well, for your delight and edification, here are five of my favourite sites to give you plenty to do and see on the world wide web through 2001:

The BBC. It's the busiest site in Europe so there must be something worth looking at; and there is. There is news and sport, programme details about TV and radio, plus links to all sorts of other stuff. It's just packed; you can find news stuff to do every day, from seeing what the Radio 1 DJs look like on the webcam to checking the latest episode details for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

www.bbc.co.uk

The RAC. Plenty of motoring info and the like, but the best bit for me is the route planner, which gives you the best routes from A-B anywhere in the UK and mainland Europe. It also has tips for winter motoring (very topical) and is easy to use and nice to look at.

www.rac.co.uk

Radiohead. I know I plug them every other week, but this is the most intelligent popular music site I have found so far on the web. Mind you they are the most intelligent band going, so no surprises there. Plumb full of weirdness, useful information and some great links and those blinking bears. Great.

www.radiohead.com

The Internet Movie Database. If you're into movies this is just about the best thing on the tri-W. Comprehensive beyond reason, easy to use with everything cross-referenced and indexed, you could happily spend a day on this just filling your head with facts, rating all your favourite movies, checking the links to movie sites and generally being a total filmhead.

www.imdb.co.uk

The Centre for the Easily Amused. Very, very silly but chock full of daft ways of wasting your time and your unmetred access.

The choice bits are the animations from the stress-relief aquarium to the alcohol and ammo redneck capers. Plus links to other comedy sites.

www.amused.com/