IWin.com Homepage

IWin.com is a website that offers hundreds of downloadable games for kids to play.  These games take only minutes to download and are available for FREE(most for a limited time).  The genres of games include hidden object, time management, action, board/card, game show/word, match 3, puzzles, and online party.  There is even a section specifically for free games.  What I found most appealing about this website is that you are able to play a 60 minute free trial for most of the games.  I like being able to try out a game before I commit to the purchase, nothing worse than buying a dud game.

Turtle Odyssey

In my lengthy time spent playing and exploring this website, one game I really enjoyed was Turtle Odyssey.  This game is an adventure type game featuring a little turtle named “Ozzy”.  As Ozzy you navigate your way through 8 episodes which include a number of sub-levels.  The objective is for you to collect coins and diamond jewels while doing your best to avoid obstacles like evil octopus.  You must collect all of the diamond jewels to open the door at the end to complete the level.  The heart on the bottom right corner of the screen shows your life and the blue circle in the left corner shows your oxygen level.  Both of these must be kept from being completely empty or your journey can’t proceed.  You can refill both by finding bottles filled with either air or hearts at different points throughout the game.  This game is a fun nonviolent adventure for your child.  I played this game on its free 60 minute trial, but if you really enjoy the game there is the additional option to buy.

Vacation Mogul

The second game that I thought was worth mentioning was called Vacation Mogul.  This was a time management based game.  The background story to this game is that your distant uncle has passed away and left you and your sister his millionaire  island home.  As the story unfolds you come to realize that something was fishy about your uncle’s passing and your sister also goes missing.  It’s your job to find out what happened! In addition to solving a mystery you are also a real estate mogul developing vacation spots.  Each level within the game has specific tasks and time limits to building hotels, motels, shops and other attractions.  This game definitely requires multi-tasking skills as many steps go into building and maintaining resort areas, such as hiring workers, getting building materials, constructing buildings, upgrading and repairing sites, and researching for new developments.  This game is great because it has no time limit for the free play.  Once you download this game you can play for as long as you like.  The only downfall it seems would be the amount of advertising.  After almost every level it seemed there was a break for a commercial advertisement.  Once again if you do purchase this game the advertising has been removed.

So, if during your exploration of IWin.com a game does catch your fancy a couple of options are available for permanent ownership.  An All Access Pass entitles you to unlimited play of a number of online downloadable games as well as 24 hours of offline play time for each for a monthly fee of $9.99.  The second payment option is Club Iwin which for a $6.99 montly fee gives you discounted game purchases.  The third payment option is a a direct buy with no membership needed for the games at retail prices generally $9.99 each.

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Have you ever wanted a safe site for your children to play on that has it all? No more constant web surfing needed after you visit TVOKids! This site is filled with an enormous range of activities for children ages 2-5 and 11 & under  to enjoy.  It has games targeted towards reading, math, science, art, spelling, music, and sports, just to name a few.  TVOKids really provides a way for children to improve a number of important skills while still having a great time.  The fun doesn’t stop there, in addition to having a range of games, they also have a variety of videos which range from cooking instructions to providing tips and help on homework.

Each age group has it’s own home page with links to the games, videos and more.   I played games and watched videos on both age group sites and found them both worthwhile.  One of my favorite games on the older children’s site was called Dino Dan.  In this game you are provided with tools to find the fossils just like a real life archaeologist would  such as a sonar, a shovel, a brush, and a shifter which all need to be used at specific times.  You advance through the game by finding fossils in the dig site to form a number of different extinct dinosaurs.    

In addition to the dig site, another cool feature of this game is the Dino Lab.  This section includes a Hatchery (where dino eggs are cared for), a Yearbook (which shows some of the game’s character Dan’s friends), and a Dinocyclopedia (where you can learn about all the dinosaurs whose fossils you’ve found).  There are also a couple of dinosaur themed mini-games within that are unlocked after finding a certain number of complete dinosaur skeletons. A cool option about this game is that you can but aren’t required to create a login account.  This is nice for continuous play action and does require a parent’s email.  If you child likes dinosaurs they will most certainly love this game, I know i did!

Not to leave out the 2-5 age group site, a game that I thought was particularly entertaining and educational in the category of reading and spelling was called The Adventures of Sir Readsalot.  This game reads a page of a story aloud in a very silly sounding voice, while simultaneously highlighting each specific word.   This really allows the child to connect the sound with the visual spelling of the word.  After the short part of the story is read one word disappears and you must click around the  castle background to find the letters that make up the word.  Almost every object is click-able and moves around a little when clicked.  Even if you don’t click on the correct one to find a letter, you can enjoy the reaction from the object you did click as it moves around.  The game also helps you out in finding the letter if you are having trouble by providing a red arrow which will point to the desired location.

In conclusion, TVOKids felt very safe in my opinion  and had a variety of fun activities for kids.  The site is free and I have yet to see any ads located anywhere really on the site, which is nice since ads seem to pop up everywhere.  I highly recommend this site. Enjoy!

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When using Neopets, your child has to create an account, which is free to all users. Some basic information is required, including an email address, in case of a lost password. Also with the necessity of an email address, it will require your permission for your child to engage in this site. The use of the account is to collect points and keep track of your Neopet. This game requires a child to learn responsibility about having a pet. For example the pet if neglected, can become withered and ill. This game allows your child to feel accomplished. By playing games your child can earn Neocash which is used to decorate your neo-home and revitalize your Neopets. All of these lessons are taught through over 100 games. These games can range from puzzles, educational (for example the game, Imperial Exam, is helpful with spelling) to games that are based upon pure fun. All of the games are geared toward children, with no violence involved. The games involve the use of the Neopets characters, which are adorable and friendly. Your child can also interact with other neo-pets within town, but it is not an online network for meeting new people.

This picture is one of the towns your child and their neopet can visit. It includes different shops that they can use to purchase new items for their Neopet with their neo-cash. Many of the towns are similar to this one, but different in appearance. They all include different games that are relevant to it’s neighborhood.

Although there are no pop-ups, as a parent, you may want to be aware of the ads that are on the boarder of the website. Also an ad will present itself before each game your child chooses to play. Fortunately, these ads are not inappropriate to younger ages. Most ads consist of children’s movies and cell phone coverage.

I have played Neopets throughout my childhood, and at the age of 20, still have friends who indulge themselves in its experience. All of my friends and younger siblings have found this game extremely enjoyable. This game is fun because it has its own child-like innocence. The only problem with this site is that it can be confusing in some regards. Luckily, there is a tutorial that your child can use to learn how to play.

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Under $20

Preschool

Jump Start Pet Rescue for the Wii – For Under $20 this game is an INCREDIBLE bargain for 3-6 year olds.  See my complete review here.

A Subscription to Jump Start.com where your preschooler – early grade schooler can learn while having fun. Full review here.

Pajama Sam and Other Humungous Games – Putt Putt and Fredi Fish are WONDERFUL adventure Games for the PC (and some for the Wii) to help children think logically. I have the full review here and these games are perfect for ages 3-7. You can see my full review here.

Grade School

Tropix & Tropix 2 — Available for the PC, Nintendo DS or through Shockwave online. This is a wonderful educational and fun game for ages 6-12.  See my full review here.

Pajama Sam and Other Humungous Titles – Pajama Sam and Spy Fox are adventure games that make you feel immersed in the story and help teach logic and problem solving.  These are for ages 5-10 and you can see my full review here.

Try a month on one of the top social educational networking sites for kids.

Many of these sites are $5-$6/month and the one way to get to know if it is worth the money and if your child will get their money’s worth is to pay for one month as a trial run.  Here are my picks for this year:

Moshi Monsters (Age 6 and up) – See full review here. Awesome, safe, educational and fun site for kids.

Secret Builders – (Ages 6 and up) – See full review here. Safe, educational site combining gaming and adventure.

Super Secret – (Ages 10-16) – See full review here.  Fun, safe and keeps the kids interested and learning.

Zula World – (Ages 5 and up) – See full review here. Safe, educational and fun.

Teens & Whole Family

Machinarium – My review for the free version is here and the full version is only $20

Auditorium – My review is here.  For $10.99 you get the full version of this INCREDIBLY beautiful and musical game.

IPhone/ITouch Gift Card — If your child has an ITouch or an IPhone — a gift card for $20 can go a long way.  Many games are just $.99. Click here for a list of my Top 5 ITouch/IPhone  Educational Apps.

Under $50

MOST games for the PC and Nintendo Wii an Nintendo DS Fall into this category.  I stand by my recommendations for last year.  You can find the ones for the PC here and the ones for Nintendo DS here.

In addition I recommend 6 month or yearly subscriptions to the above social networking learning sites for kids re-listed here:

A Subscription to Jump Start.com – Ages (3-6) where your preschooler – early grade schooler can learn while having fun. Full review here.

Moshi Monsters (Age 6 and up) – See full review here. Awesome, safe, educational and fun site for kids.

Secret Builders – (Ages 6 and up) – See full review here. Safe, educational site combining gaming and adventure.

Super Secret – (Ages 10-16) – See full review here.  Fun, safe and keeps the kids interested and learning.

Zula World – (Ages 5 and up) – See full review here. Safe, educational and fun.

Teens & Whole Family

Super Mario Brothers Wii – My kids just got this “for my husband” for his birthday and it has become a new family favorite.  We are HUGE Mario Brothers Fans and this game does not disappoint.  There are many new features including the ability for 4 players to play simultaneously which is tons of fun. Check out the link in the picture or here to see all the amazing reviews on amazon.com.

Wii Sports Resort – This game continues to be fun for the whole family.  My whole review is here for this fantastic game.

Over $50

The Whole Family

ITouch — This is THE portable device for kids.  If you have a wireless connection at home or know some place in your area that does – your child has access to download games, music, movies, tv shows and more without even plugging in the ITouch.  Many apps (applications) are free.  You can use this as an IPOD, web browser, game player and even to text.  All the goodness of the IPhone without the cell phone monthly cost.  One of my favorite things is there is no more STUFF.  When my kids receive game; CD Roms, DS and Wii games can take up space…. With this you and people who want to give your children gifts can just keep adding money to the Apple Account with gift cards and everything fits right on that tiny ITouch.  This was my son’s request for his birthday so instead of clutter he got useful games, apps to help him with school and a few of his favorite TV shows and songs uploaded.There are many different versions of the ITouch and they are priced according to how much space is available on them but all of them have most the same wonderful capabilities.

Wii – The Nintendo Wii has JUST lowered it’s price to just under $200 which makes it an even more incredible deal. If you have followed my blog for a while you know I have enjoyed over 3 years of fun with the Wii and cannot say enough good things about it. It has us all playing together and up off the sofa doing so.  I reviewed my favorite Wii and DS Games last year here.

There have been SO many amazing non violent and educational sites and games released over the last few years.  It is my honor to review them and boy do my kids love that I do!  I wish you all a very happy holiday and if you ever have any games or sites you think I should look at — please email the link to me with a description.  Thanks so much for your support.

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INCH WORM & INCH WORM 2

Yeah, I DO LOVE maze games – these are my favorite games on the site! This one is very cute and starts off REALLY easy and adds challenges as you proceed. There are 24 levels in Inch Worm 1 and 24 more mazes for you you solve in Inch Worm 2. You can use the keyboard OR the mouse to play with game which makes it even more accessible for different aged children. My kids saw this game on my screen this morning and both (ages 6 and 9) wanted to play and asked that I show them this site later on after school so they can solve them separately. I have no doubt this would keep kids and adults entertained until all 48 levels were complete. This game is wonderful for developing logical thinking and problem solving.

FROG JUMPIN’

Remember the Game Hi-Q? Those pegs on a board — jump one at a time to leave as few as possible and IDEALLY ONE in the center hole? That is this game BUT the REALLY nice part is they start you off very easy and show you patterns. As you get to learn the patterns you can apply that to later levels and also for any future Hi-Q playing you might do. This game is GREAT for developing logical thinking. With cute frogs and music it also holds interest longer than if a child was just sitting playing the game. YES — I can finally learn how to leave one in the center hole!

MAZE CRAZE

This game is great for logic and creativity. Make your own mazes or solve some of the ones Zoopz provides. The object is to get the circle and the 2 x’s to meet. You do that by changing and adding to the maze using the pieces on the right of the screen. This game requires logical thinking and problem solving. The best thing is you can play the maze games to get a feel for them and then create your own. This game also allows for one or two player game play. LOTS of fun!

INK BLOBS

Ink Blobs is a very different art program that is easy for kids to get the hang of. Click on the word BLOBS to get the different screens of shapes you can use. Click on the color to change the color. Hold down the mouse button while putting a shape in place to enlarge it. You can rotate as well. Click on the word INK to draw the shapes with your mouse. Print out the ones you want to keep or just keep going to new pages to create more. An Art program all ages would have fun playing with.

MANY DOTS

There are many ways to use many dots which is a cool art program. If you choose a circle you get almost a “Lite Brite” type board and can click anywhere on the screen to add color. Click a few times to scroll through the different colors. If you click on the square it is almost like a banner template that you can decorate similarly. Click on the triangle and it appears as shown. You can click on the lightbulb for ideas or on the 3 numbers to get different looks. This is very fun to play with and if your child makes something they really like there is always the print option.

There are a few more games on Zoopz that I did not review that are also fun. The ones listed at first play were my favorites. With no ads, for FREE and the ability to play many different learning and creative games and I think Zoopz is a kid’s computer game site WELL worth the visit.

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Sign up for a free membership and you will be able to utilize saving pictures to a gallery, emailing your creations to friends, sharing your creations with everyone on the site and adding favorite things to your backpack for you to use on other applications. It is broken down as shown: Make a Picture, Movie, Drawing, Card or Story.

Make a Picture

You need to pick a background first that you want to design on. Even with a free signed up membership you get TONS of options. After you pick a design a page comes up with lots of options for adding text, pictures, word bubbles, shapes and just about anything else you would need to add to a picture. There is also a search option so a child that knows how to spell can look for specific graphics to add. You can rotate, stretch and move the graphics wherever you like. There are so many options here and my 5 year old daughter had fun playing with this as well as my 9 year old son. You can print your creation and you can save it for others to look at. As you submit and rate other’s pictures you earn coins that can be used to spend in the shop on new graphics, music, drawing tools, etc. VERY fun and it was nice to go through with my kids and look at what other people had created. There really is no limit to what kinds of pictures you can create.

MAKE A MOVIE

The first thing you need to do is select a storyline to make a movie. Kerpoof then allows you to select from several different scenes. I recommend this for ages 7 and up as it was a little difficult for my daughter who is just beginning to read to understand all that is involved in creating a movie. Still with some assistance even a younger child would be able to make a short movie without much difficulty using this application. You drag objects into the picture. Clicking on the object tells you WHAT that object is allowed to do. There is an instructional video on the site on how to make a movie that I recommend the kids watching to maximize their potential in use. The movie making application is A LOT of fun and you can add music, new scenes and more to make it your own. This was also the BEST movie making application I have come across for younger kids on the internet yet! My son is telling all his friends to sign up to make movies and they are having a blast.

MAKE A DRAWING

Make a Drawing is like a huge Doodle Pad filled with cool options to enhance your drawing experience. The shape censor allows for you to draw perfect circles, triangles, rectangles or squares. The color mixer allows you to get get whatever color you want perfect. You can change the thickness of lines drawn, move objects around, use different drawing tools (as you buy them with coins earned), erase, email, print and more. It is amazing to see some of the creations made with this application and fun to go and rate some with the kids. Cool and very simple to use platform and I feel ages 5 and up would “get it” and be able to create with it.

MAKE A CARD

Pick an occasion from the many offered and begin to design a card. Using the graphics given to you and using the search you can find anything you need to make a unique and creative card. You can add your own special touches by drawing on it as well and they have lots of occasions to choose from. My children started making their friends birthday cards on the computer a while back and really love it. This program makes it easy to do so. They think of things that person enjoys and do searches for graphics of them to add to the card to make it special for the person receiving it. Another great application from Kerpoof!

MAKE A STORY

Choose from a storyline and let your imagination take over. Design each page with text, pictures, objects you have drawn and anything else you can imagine. Keep adding pages as you develop your story and then print, email and/or save. My 9 year old son really enjoyed doing this and I feel it is an excellent activity to inspire creativity.

KERPOOF OVERVIEW Free/Paid

With a free membership you can still edit an avatar, buy many more drawing tools, music, backgrounds etc. You can also add your favorite graphics to your “backpack” so that they are there to use no matter what background or drawing application you pull up. My son has played on this site for hours and is not yet asking for a paid membership. Paid membership DOES allow for the maintenance of their ad-free site which is highly valuable when you have young children. If Alex continues to play on the site and enjoy it (which I believe he will) I will definitely obtain a membership for him. Kerpoof also has a coloring page for younger children to print out which is WONDERFUL and has MANY pictures.

For the paid membership ($4.39/month) you get the ability for your kids to chat (safety), create and join groups and also have fun with “Buddy Draw”. You also get access to more special effects, characters, avatar styles, props, music, movies to build from, and tons more stuff to spend your “Koins” on.

Kerpoof is easily one of the best art sites I have found online for kids and adults of all ages. After I visit a site like this I am so inspired and happy that I get to review children’s games! Thank you Kerpoof for providing high quality content, encouraging creativity and imagination all with an easy to use interface and most importantly in a very safe environment for kids!

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