• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 7.

• Is it any good?

  3.0

• Common Sense says

  Marvel dials down the violence (a little) for young fans.

Why We Rated This for Ages 7–8

The good stuff

• Educational value:

  A section devoted to more educational-based challenges, like printable mazes, puzzles and drawing (with solutions) helps up the educational value of the site. For Super Hero fans who may be reluctant readers, mid-level reading material in the form of a digital comics reader should hold interest.
• User-created content:

  Not an issue.

What to watch out for

• Messages:

  Super Heroes being who they are and doing what they do (even in the name of battling sinister foes), the features on this site often include a lot of growling, slamming, pounding, and other behavior that younger viewers may try to translate into real life.
• Violence:

  As with most comics, blasting and pounding and slamming is par for the course, all in the name of a greater good, of course. For example, in one game called "Hulk Bad Attitude" players build up Hulk's "Rage Meter" for more power. Some of the dramatic, foreboding music and intense scenes could be scary for younger viewers.
• Sex:

  The "Create Your Own Super Hero" game has over-the-top images of Super Hero bodies (male and female) for kids to dress up. The ultra-thin super-buxom female character (who makes Wonder Woman look flat-chested) and super-muscled male images may promote unhealthy body image ideals to young kids, especially girls.
• Language:

  Not an issue.
• Consumerism:

  Ads for brands like Marvel digital comics, Lucky Charms, and McDonalds appear. Some of the games are offered as free trials with an option to buy. A disclaimer states that users are supposed to be 18 to purchase anything from the site.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Not an issue.

How safe is it?

• Personal privacy:

  The site practices sound privacy policy and does not collect information from users younger than 13. It doesn't offer places to disclose personal information, like user pages or chat rooms.
• Online interaction:

  The site says it offers the ability to send friends a "postcard," but that might be a feature they're intending to add later.
• Parental controls:

  The site has a special message to parents providing detailed site guidelines for usage.

What Parents Need to Know

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