Infocom and Games magazine (Score 2, Insightful)

While it might be tough to get any kid these days enthused about typing 4 pages of Basic to get a little sprit based "Game", I'd think that you might have a shot at getting a child on the right track with something like Zork II. (A WELL!!! Took me months to figure out that one) Typing is such a core skill, and you don't want someone to learn how to type in chat rooms, or email.