Missing the C-64

This is just too predictable, but I loved my Commodore 64. From Loderunner to Bruce Lee (pictured above) to Mission Impossible Mission (Destroy him robots!) to Karateka to Exploding Fists. But what I loved most was the ability to program BASIC. My kid is asking for PSP for Xmas, and I guess I'll get him one. But he also has an interest in computer programming. The beauty of the Commodore and BASIC was that an eight or nine year-old kid could go for his. Is there anything out there like that now? Maybe I'll just get him a PC, throw Neverwinter Nights on there, and let him mess around building modules. We've done a pretty good job about encouraging the imagination in this house. LEGOs are shockingly expensive, but they really are classic toys--though we avoid the movie-themed ones. Anyway, I want to keep encouraging the boy to be a creator as opposed to a consumer. Is there anything out there now with the same programability as the Commodore?