Pirates of the Caribbean Online
© 2007 Disney Online
Update 2009: Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online can now be played in 3D. In the newly launched Invasion multiplayer battle feature, you can choose a 3D option to fight against the game's main villain, Jolly Roger. Disney has worked a lot of the kinks out of this MMOG, making it easy to design an avatar and start fighting. The result is one of the best MMOGs available for upper elementary and middle schoolers. Adults will also like this game. Like Club Penguin or RuneScape, this site makes money by letting you in free, getting you hooked, and then tempting you with a $10/month premium option that unlocks more powers. The free experience is mostly the same as the paid experience. In addition, the game now loads faster and plays much better than when it first launched, when the screen would freeze for minutes at a time. In the story, Captain Jack Sparrow provides the bad puns, which are nicely integrated into a twisted storyline that features plunder, sword fights, voodoo and ship-to-ship battles that require recruiting a crew. As you play, you can freely chat with other players (bad language can be reported, and you risk being banned from the game). You start by creating an avatar — in this case a male or female pirate and then start your career as a fighter. The music is nice, but can get a bit repetitive. On the other hand, the ship battles -- which require a coordinated effort by different members of your crew -- are state-of-the-art. You can sign up at www.piratesonline.com.
$10, Windows XP, Windows, Mac OSX, Internet Site
Teaches: logic, typing, language, strategy, timing
CTR Rating: 90%