Vector City Racers
© 2009 Vector Entertainment, Inc.
Previously called "VC Racers" and "Webcarz," this virtual world has a racing theme. You steer a small, LEGO-like race car through a maze of tracks using the arrow keys. Steering can be tricky -- is designed for boys 6-12 years of age. The site combines the ability to customize and race cars in a community setting. In the game, your car is your avatar. Content includes 13 cities with varying landscapes to explore, a garage/personal page to store and showcase vehicles, stats and leaderboards, chat, races, friends lists and a store where you can purchase upgrades to your car. Community aspects include both moderated and “snap chat” (common phrases for quick communication). We tested the site on Oct. 7, and noted that the LEGO-like graphics that are rather blocky. If you navigate away from the game page, say to read instructions or read the "about us" you loose your progress. Advertisement boxes are shown between levels, which froze the game (we were using Firefox on a Macintosh). Before the crash, we were able to successfully chat with another car avatar, who told us "I'm 9 years old." The chat options are nice. Despite the glitches, the racing theme is appealing and the simplicity of the controls makes it worth keeping an eye on. Visit www.vectorcityracers.com.
Windows, Mac OSX, Internet Site
Teaches: racing, chat
CTR Rating: 84%