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ArcadeTown (http://www.arcadetown.com)

common sense media says

Games have blood, guts, booze; some educational.

parents & educators say
See 1 review | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this site features some violent games -- blood spurts from zombies as they scream in one game; Endless War 3, one of most popular free games, includes so much gunfire that it's hard to realize what's happening until opponents bodies split apart and spurt blood -- all to a samba beat. Although users 13 and under are supposed to seek parental permission, no checks exist to confirm user's ages. Full versions of many games run around $19.95.

Educational value: Some puzzle games teach math and logic skills and logic games involve planning skills; other games are mostly mindless.
Positive messages: Not applicable.
Violence: Violent games show blood and death.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Not applicable.
Consumerism: Pop-up ads promote everything from games to screensavers. Full versions of many games run around $19.95.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: At least one game involves serving beer.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

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What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the frequent sales pushes on the site for the premium versions of the game. Telling a friend about the site gets users 15 percent off; ordering two or more of certain games gets you 35 percent off. Is promoting the site right? Why would you have to pay for more complete games when some versions are free?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
The site doesn't clearly list the charges for the premium versions of its games. And, regrettably, many of the free preview games seem to involve adult (or just violent) interests like shooting and killing. Other games are just plain not kid-friendly -- like Betty's Beer Bar, which features a goal of serving drinks to nuns, Santa, and other patrons. The site also enforces other unsafe behaviors, such as crashing other cars in driving games. In addition, some of the site's game challenges are just plain violent.

The good news is free versions of many games can be downloaded fairly simply; the bad news is frequent pop-up windows advertise everything from games to screensavers. Sure, trial games may be free at ArcadeTown.com -- but if those games involve bloodshed and booze, is that really a bargain?

This review was written by Erin Brereton
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

turhfh
teen, 16 years old
11
 
Relaxing
Just Make sure what your children download on this website i say about 70% of there games are relaxig the other 30 is shooting or gore
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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
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