The Travels of Wiglington & Wenks
Fun, travel-oriented MMO is full of historic figures.
Parents say
Based on 14 reviews
Kids say
Based on 13 reviews
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The Travels of Wiglington & Wenks
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this is an educational online game for kids with a monthly subscription. Targeted toward kids 7 to 12, this massively multiplayer online game features simplified history and geography information. Although not rated by the ESRB or COPA compliant as the developers are a Singaporean company, there are a host of safety features including smart filtering in the open chat, high moderation, and a parental administration panel where parents can monitor their children's play time. Parents can also request up to 90 days of their child's chat log.
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Absolutely stunning.
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What’s It About?
THE TRAVELS OF WIGLINGTON & WENKS is a massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) based on a series of British children's books written by John Bittleston The books chronicle the adventures of a pair of water rat friends who travel the world seeking the magical maps of their ancestor. In the online game, kids create an avatar and learn about the current world we live in by exploring and traveling, searching for missing items by clicking on them in a "hidden object" game manner and helping misplaced historical figures such as Beethoven, Mahatma Gandhi, and Albert Einstein regain their memories by searching for items that are related to them, such as a piano for Beethoven. Along the way, kids play a diverse set of games that include logic puzzles, rhythm games, billiards, and even musical note identification.
Is It Any Good?
In Wiglington and Wenks, kids are regaled with facts as they travel to different locations in the world. The game will appeal to kids who love adventure and to kids who enjoy exploration and discovery games. Objects in the world can be interacted with by clicking on them and many of them are waiting to be discovered by a curious kid who is wandering in different geographic locations. These objects are then tracked in the kid's account on the website. Amusingly, kids are also mildly chided if they go around clicking everything they see.
The mini-games, which are found in every location, range from logic puzzles to memory match games, darts, and sorting games. Most are themed to be civic or environmentally conscious, but many are there just for fun. Competitive kids will like that the game hosts a top ten leader board that is shown at the end of the game. Kids earn rollers, which can then be used to buy vanity items like new outfits, pets, housing, and housing items. With historic figures constantly wandering around as characters in this virtual world, Wiglington and Wenks is solidly based on education. Kids cannot help but absorb historical, geographic, environmental, or cultural facts as they travel the world to help these misplaced historical figures.
Online interaction: Online interaction is not only in game but on the forums as well. The game has open chat but both the game and forums are highly moderated and filtered. There is also a Parents Forum where parents may interact with each other and with the developers. It is actually heartening to see how kids help each other and urge each other to behave well and to be polite to each other in-game. Parents can also request up to 90 days of their child's chat log.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the various historical figures kids encounter in game and explore the history in more depth.
Families can also talk about environmental issues and geographical areas that kids encounter in game.
Like any other online game, there is always the possibility of negative encounters and families can talk to their children about online behavior and time limits.
Families can also talk about Online Consumerism Do you really have to spend real money to buy that particular outfit for your character? Will a different color that you can buy with in-game currency do?
Game Details
- Platform: Windows
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Mediafreaks, Ltd.
- Release date: December 24, 2009
- Genre: Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG)
- ESRB rating: NR for Not Rated
- Last updated: August 31, 2016
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