What child hasn't chatted with friends through a computer? But chatting with a computer? Some Danish scientists have literally put a face on their latest software program, bringing to virtual life storyteller Hans Christian Andersen, who engages users in actual conversations. The digitized Andersen resides at the Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, Denmark. There he answers questions about his life and fairy tales and responds in a fairly humanlike manner, complete with facial expressions and gestures. (Tip: Andersen gets a bit testy when asked if his teeth are false.) But Andersen's creators at NICE (www.niceproject.com), a virtual language and computer interaction initiative based at the University of Southern Denmark, are imagining a much larger playing field for their three-year-old project.