TopBlogContent

If you have a technologically-inclined child, chances are you’ve heard of Club Penguin. It’s a virtual world not unlike Neopets (only considerably more interactive and eye-catching), but strongly geared towards children. Club Penguin is a Disney creation, and it has all the charm and dazzle you’d expect from a Disney venture.

I’m almost 30, but testing Club Penguin for this review I couldn’t help but marvel that even I could spend a good chunk of time there and be well-entertained. It’s filled with both interactive games (like a virtual version of the classic Connect Four) and games to play against the computer. There are lots of areas where children can chat, though chat seems to be the least popular feature. Dressing in costumes, collecting props, playing games, adopting pets, and other fun activities clearly rule the place.

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

Your character is a penguin, plain and simple. When you create your account you’re given a choice of colors–as you see, I chose green. My only hitch in character creation was that every name I tried to register was taken. First I tried Bob2233–no dice. Then Bobguin…alright, that one was pretty likely to be taken. Each time it checked a username it was painfully slow to receive a server response. Frustrated, I decided to take a rather literal interpretation of their suggestion to combine favorite colors and nickname–I named my penguin RGBCMYK.

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

After an e-mail activation step I was in. At first I was daunted by the sheer number of servers that were full, but they’ve been careful to provide plenty for each country represented (for English-speakers alone there are USA, England, and Australia servers). I choose server “Mammoth” in the USA and away I went…

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

Magical twinkling music accompanied the cheery visual of a town bedecked in Christmas decor. Vibrant penguins waddled here and there, some performing comical actions such as waving that could only be described as penguin jumping jacks. A world map was available to allow for easy transportation between multiple world areas such as the beach and an ice rink. Eager to jump in, I made my way for a nearby building and entered.

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

At this point I began to notice the load times between screens was really, really slow. Slower than username check. Once I had to navigate back to the homepage and login again because it got stuck on an endless cycle of loading. Strike one in an otherwise pleasant experience: an impatient child will not be amused by the waiting.

Here I found the Connect Four game–though no other users were interested in or available to play it with me. Strike two, if and only if interaction is a top-notch priority: there seems to be very little of it between users, and not by design. So I chose “Ice Fishing” instead, your run-of-the-mill fishing game. It was a lot of fun, up until the point when I was contending with boots, barrels, jellyfish, and sharks as impediments! But even then it wasn’t the sort of game that would discourage kids. You have three lives and no time limit. It’s just one of many such games available in Club Penguin.

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

This is when I had to disconnect and reload, since trying to escape Ice Fishing was impossible. I logged in at a different place, a sort of downtown center with a pet shop, theatre, box of freebies (I found a bell, which I equipped and rang loudly at will), and a very touching feature. The game’s currency is coins with which costumes, accessories, pets, etc. are purchased. To give you an idea, a pet costs 800 coins. I began with about 200. A Salvation Army-style kettle revealed that children can donate coins to real life causes, such as helping sick kids or protecting the environment. The program, Coins for Change, moved me to spend 50 coins for ill children. Since the least exciting accessory I found, a page boy hat, costs more than that left me, it ended up being a sacrifice. But one I was happy to make, especially since the program’s existence encourages generosity and selflessness in younger generations. What a prize! (The Coins for Change campaign runs from December 14th-24th and will result in 1 million dollars donated to three charities represented by the in-game options.)

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

After donating some coins to the cause, I waddled into the pet shop for a look around. The pet system is fantastic: each color “puffle” (animated puffballs, for lack of a better description) has its own personality. You can kit your puffles out in neat accessories and toys. It all costs premium coin of course, but for kids who accumulate lots of currency by actively using the game a great deal, I’m sure it’s no sweat. But again, for impatient children, there’s a potential strike three in the high cost of the good life in Club Penguin.

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

Failing to secure a pet, I tried my hand at the theatre instead. This is a very clever idea: penguins can take the stage and, with the help of a script that children can copy into the chat and speak, perform their own plays. The scenery can be changed with a single mouse click, allowing creativity to run free. This is where costumes may be purchased (further allowing “actors” to customize the play with a range of costume types), but there’s nothing stopping anyone from performing without clothes. My penguin played his bell quite enthusiastically in the theatre.

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

From here I decided to explore the world map. I headed to the ice rink and found that a giant hockey puck in the center made it possible to play an unusual but enjoyable game of hockey. With few other penguins interested in participating, however, it was a pretty one-sided affair. Still, the idea is neat, and I’m sure somewhere on some server kids are having a ball with it.

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

I realized there was no way I’d manage to test every feature of Club Penguin for the purposes of this review, so I made one final journey: to the beach. It’s Christmas time, so the beach wasn’t looking so beachy. The lighthouse is in fact a giant Christmas tree, which certainly has holiday spirit. Inside there’s a stage and a few musical instruments where kids can pretend to rock n’ roll. I climbed to the very top, where a spy glass that doesn’t seem to do much of anything and a jet pack propulsion game awaited, and was tickled pink to see the lighthouse’s light is in fact a giant star atop the tree. How adorable!

© (c) 2007 Club Penguin Entertainment Inc.

I decided it was time to leave Club Penguin and my cheeky little friend RGBCMYK behind. I’d be curious to see what the game looks like when it’s not completely Christmas-themed, but it works well for the excitement of the season.

I would recommend this game without hesitation to any parent who’s happy to see his or her children carve out a safe corner of cyberspace. Multiple security measures make this a seemingly airtight place for kids to be. Adults are asked to create the accounts, and I think it’s wise to check in on your children whenever they’re online. But otherwise I would feel secure letting my kids hang out in Club Penguin.

For every “strike” against the game there are many good features to make this an overall positive experience. Disney delivers again!

Bonus for the season: If you want to get your children out of your hair as you do last-minute Christmas baking, gift wrapping, or other busy holiday tasks, pop them on Club Penguin for a while. It’ll hold their attention and stir their Christmas spirit!

Dina Ely is a freelance writer, poet, and author of short fiction. Readers can contact her at dely723@yahoo.com

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 22nd, 2007 at 9:34 pm and is filed under Hot. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.