Club Penguin

An online game where players waddle around a snow-covered virtual world using cartoon penguins as avatars, Club Penguin would be a great place for you to meet new friends, play some games and decorate your igloo - if you are five years old.

After signing up for an account, you start at a random location and slowly waddle your way around the island. There aren't too many places for you to explore, and most of the games are simple, flash-based ones that do not take very long to master. Only one game, the Sled racing, pits you against other human players, while the rest are skill-based. There is a also limit to the number of things your penguin can do, although if you happen to run into a large number of players at the Snow Forts area getting into a snowball throwing frenzy can be quite fun.

Like the more popular Neopets, players have the option to dress their penguin avatars and even decorate their igloo homes and adopt pets (round, cotton ball-like creatures called Puffles). But to access these advanced features, a membership subscription starting at USD$5.95 a month is required. Membership perks aren't all that much, and US$5.95 a month is quite expensive just to buy rights to customizing your avatar and decorating your virtual home.

This online game has many security features that are children-friendly, including moderated chats so that kids stay safe. This is a game you might want to take a look at if you are new to online community-based games, have too much time on your hands, or plan to introduce a younger player to such a genre. Don't jump into getting a paid membership yet, unless you are quite sure that throwing snowballs using a penguin avatar with a Mohawk is what you're looking for.

This game is an ideal time-waster. Otherwise, it's for kids only.