I'm fairly new to Poser, and I enjoy it a lot. I think it is a great tool and far more than a toy IF you also buy the Pro Pack. Still, Poser has a lot of quirks and limitations. While capable of doing some tremendously exciting and amazing things, to get the most of Poser, it seems that you really have to learns the ins and outs of the program, the vast majority of which are not documented. This means a fairly steep learning curve for the artist/perfectionist, a learning curve that could soon be irrelevant in view of the impending release of Poser 5. My advice: just get Animation Master. It will help your son the learning curve for his classes. Then, save up for Poser 5 because it looks like a real winner. I'm salivating over the enhanced animation capabilities! --Griff