I bought my son a kit 2 years ago, it was a bit more advanced than the Mr. Beer kit, but it was a starter kit all the same. My son has been trying different brews and has upgraded to some pretty cool stuff. This year for Christmas I bought him a 10 gallon Blickmann pot with false bottom. It allows him to "cook" the grains and create his own malt. He also got the Blickman floor boiler which can bring 10 gallons to a boil quickly and keep temps steady when cooking out the sugars and other stuff. He and his buddies are now doing kegs and have some recipes that they are perfecting.
Have fun with the project, I have a feeling you will get hooked!