RideMakerz (www.ridemakerz.com)
© 2009 RideMakerz
Think Build-a-Bear, only with shoe-box sized snap-together cars, and you get the idea of RideMakerz, a mixture of retail and online play that targets young boys. As of January '09, there are 12 RideMakerz retail stores located in malls around the USA. On April 1, '09, the RideMakerz virtual world will be launched at www.ridemakerz.com, which makes it possible to race or decorate virtual versions of your car. You'll be able to register and play for free, but parents will want to know that there is a "make it real" button that connects a child's car with a part-by-part shopping cart. Car kits can range from $12 to upwards of $60, depending on how many features and decorations a child begs for. Our testers liked the sample radio-controlled version that was provided, finding the controls to be easy to use and the car to be surprisingly fast. But, the car is a potential AA battery burner. Also, we question how customizable the cars are -- on the creativity scale, these kits are a long way from LEGOs. As MMOs go, the site is pretty basic, with no social gaming options or live chat. However, it will be possible to race your cars against other players, and choose constructed chat options such as "eat my dust." The site was created by New York based Electric Sheep Company, using a streaming Flash tool called Webflock, so no downloads or installation are required.
$12, Internet Site, Windows, Mac OSX
Teaches: some creativity, car racing