Jetix.com
© 2008 Disney Online
Noisy and fun, this free highly-commercialized site has plenty of nuggets of addicting games, mixed with contests, ads and previews of Disney’s Jetix TV. Geared toward the boy demographic, the programming features Power Rangers, Batman, Captain Flamingo and others. There are video previews from the TV shows. A menu of options includes games, movie and TV listings, music, travel, shopping, live events, mobile (cell phones), characters and a “for you” (arranged into age groups/interests). With this many categories, there should be something for every Disney fan. The problem is finding it. Clicking on the “games” tab on the homepage spawns a popup box that displays this message: “Hey Kids! You are about to go to a page that may have ads for Disney products or services.” That’s an understatement. In the “Streets of Justice” game, for example, players steer a Batmobile through a maze to avoid damage, while shooting at bad guys. Banners for Frosted Flakes, Burger King, Fruit Loops, and the chance to win a mountain bike flash over the screen. The site bombards users with nonstop audiovisual advertisements. Clicking on the “Live Events” tab opens a page full of promotions for Broadway shows, Disney on Ice, touring Disney Shows, DVDs, and more. It’s difficult to define this site, since every click takes you to another page full of dozens of links, making it very easy to stray. Though the advertisements are labeled, either with the word “advertisement” or “ad,” the graphic style is confusingly similar to that used for the activities. Clicking on the “games” link also leads to Disney’s recent acquisition, Club Penguin, which proudly boasts being 100% ad-free — but the path to this commercialfree zone was overgrown with ads. This site touches on everything Disney, offering a wide range of activities for a wide range of ages, if you can find the content and don’t mind ads in your face.
Internet Site
Teaches: some logic and timing
CTR Rating: 67.5%