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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Pet Pals (Animal Doctor) For Ninento Wii

Recommended for ages 10+ due to mild blood. If your child (or you) has ever had any interest in being an animal vet or learning more about animals THIS is the game for you. You start in a waiting room with pet owners waiting to bring in their animals for you to look at and treat. In the waiting room you have the computer screen where you can go and play jigsaw puzzles, a memory match game, an animal trivia game or learn more about animals. You can hover over the patients in the waiting room to see the symptoms of each animal before you choose one to work on. The animals are all pets; dogs, cats, parrots, frogs, rabbits, and canaries are some of the animals you will see. When you choose one you are brought into the treatment room and have a certain amount of time to figure out what is wrong with and treat the animal. You get points for doing things right and you lose points for giving the wrong treatment. They have various tools you can use such as magnifying glass, syringe to take blood, stethoscope for vitals, etc. Each requires you knowing how to use the wii remote to control the tool. The more animals you treat successfully the more tools you will unlock and eventually you will be doing surgery on animals! There is also the recovery room which has activities such as feeding the animals and caring for them while they recover. Again, you will unlock more activities as you play. Pet Pals (Animal Doctor) is a very educational experience. You can play on easy or normal level. The easy level walks you through and even lets you ask for hints if you are not sure WHAT to do with the animal next.

The games on the computer in the waiting room as appropriate for younger kids as well but there is a lot of reading and some mild blood while you work on the animals so I would say ages 9 and up for the real vet work. If you have an animal lover in your home that wants to learn more about animals, their bodies and the kinds of illnesses they get – Pet Pals (Animal Doctor) is the game for you!

Zoo Vet (Endangered Animals) For Nintendo DS

Recommended for ages 10+ due to mild blood. Similar to the Zoo Vet Pets game for Wii above but this is with Endangered Species. This game includes 30 newly written medical cases contributed by veterinarians practicing throughout the world. You will care for gorillas, elephants, penguins, polar bears, komodo dragons and more. This game takes advantage of the stylus by letting you use it as a tool for making precise incisions. As with Zoo Pets as you successfully complete caring for animals the missions will get harder and you will unlock more instruments.

There are also 6 different mini games, played on the office computer, where players can interact with the animals in their natural habitats. For example in one game you blow into the DS microphone to remove fleas from the animal. If you have someone in your family that enjoys learning more about animals and helping them I highly recommend Zoo Vet (Endangered Animals).

Pet Pals New Leash on Life (For PC or MAC)

This is a sequel for Pet Pals Animal Doctor and is very good. From amazon:

Pet Pals: New Leash on Life continues Legacy’s tradition of creating award-winning educational games designed for aspiring vets of all ages. Players can take part in each animal’s story and control their fate, providing rich and realistic gameplay. There are more than 30 animal cases created by practicing veterinarians from around the world showcasing 15+ different breeds of dogs, cats, rabbits and birds as well as exotic animals like iguanas and chinchillas. Players will encounter emergency situations with audio and visual feedback with a daily task system and weekly game-time that is new to Pet Pals.

I love that after the pets are healthy you can train them and teach them new tricks so they are more likely to be adopted. I also thought the interface was easier with the mouse than with a wii remote and on a bigger screen than the DS. I recommend all these games for ages 10 and up or possibly 9 if your child is a strong reader and loves animals. Any younger and they might not comprehend some of the more advanced procedures. This game offers over 30 animal cases from non urgent such as a drooling rabbit to emergency care for a kitten that swallows string. Beautiful graphics and intuitive interaction make it even more fun to play.

I feel these games offer a wonderful look inside the life of a Vet and also show just how important pet adoption is. If you, or anyone in your family has a deep interest in animals these games from Legacy Interactive are the games for you.

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One of my daughter’s comments about Jump Start was, “I like Jumpstart.com because you can always change how you look. You can have different color hair, eyes, and try out different clothes for your characters each time you play.”

What do You or your child have to say about Jumpstart.com?

Check out the video to see JumpStart.com in action:

Please see my previous posts for details:

Jump Start Contest

Jump Start Contest Extended

Stay tuned for my full review, comments and contest winner announcement on Tuesday, January 20th, 2009. Thank you and have fun playing on Jumpstart.com!

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