Internet column by Valerie Cowan

GIRL group Cleopatra are comin' atcha again - this time through the internet.

The trio from Moss Side in Manchester have launched their official website.

The girls - Zainam, Cleopatra and Yonah Higgins - are still in their teens and the bright and funky site is clearly aimed at younger fans.

Recorded messages from the girls play as you flick through the pages, which have details of the band's schedule, pictures and music files.

The site has been developed by Net Shop UK Ltd, who designed Anna Friel's official site, mentioned in this column a few weeks back.

The band say a test site set up before the official launch on Friday had 20,000 hits in one week.

Cleopatra said: "The hits have been from fans in Sri Lanka, Iceland, Japan, Holland and Australia to name but a few.

"We want to thank our fans for all their support and hope that they have as much fun visiting our site as we had creating it."

Catch them at http://www.cleopatramusic.com.

Don't give in just cheat!

BY now many of you will be struggling with the computer games you got for Christmas.

If you just can't complete the final level, or if there's a monster that refuses to die, there is help available online.

Hints, cheats and full walk-throughs can be found on the Internet for practically everything - from old text games like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to the latest graphics-packed adventures like Half-Life and Wargasm.

Gamespot (http://www.gamespo

t.com/) is one of the best sources of information for gamers.

It's clearly divided into different genres and there's lots of screen shots and technical information on how to get the most out of your games.

You can also download demos of new games and the patches issued by companies to iron out bugs or improve gameplay in their titles.

One for the album

WARDROP'S Philately Online aims to be "the ultimate launchpad" for accessing information on stamps online.

The site, at http://www.wardrop.co.uk, has links to all things stamp-related, from individual collectors' homepages to auction houses.

All in a name

JACK and Chloe might be the most popular names for babies in Britain, according to the recent Office for National Statistics report.

But if you're looking for something a bit less common, try the Baby Namer at http://www.baby

namer.com.

There are 19,000 to choose from, with descriptions of their origin and associated nicknames. And if you love or hate your own name, you can post a message with your views for your namesakes.

Wilde words:STUCK for something to say?

The web page at http://www.jonno.com

/oscariana/oscar.cgi will generate random quotes from infamous playwright and wit Oscar Wilde.

By Royal Appointment

PRINCE Edward didn't just pop down the High Street to choose andengagement ring with his fiance Sophie Rhys-Jones - they went to posh Royal jewellers Asprey Garrard. If you fancy buying something similar, check out the company's website at http://www.asprey-garrard.com/

As well as jewels and gems, the site features an exhibition of paintings by the Prince of Wales.

Cone zone: SILLY site of the week....the Traffic Cone Preservation Society at http://animation.filmt

v.ucla.edu/students/aw

infrey/coneindex.htm.

Anyone who was ever a student and who perched a traffic cone atop a statue's head will appreciate it.

SEEN something interesting on the web? Let me know! Send an e-mail to vcowan@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk.

THE Lancashire Evening Telegraph's Newspapers in Education scheme is online. Go to http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/lancashire/education/nie.html for details.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.