Miss O & Friends Virtual World

Cute pig-tailed avatars and hip music make this new virtual world an irresistible destination for girls who like to virtual shop and decorate. It features five new original games and adds new ones regularly. Some bugs were still being worked out shortly after the July 2009 launch. For instance, an entire page won't fit on the screen so users have to scroll. Another major pain: most of the games require exiting to the main Miss O site to play, then retracing multiple log-in steps to return to the same spot in the virtual world. (Points earned on the main site carry over to the virtual world and the site owners say that eventually passing back and forth will be more seamless). A grammar and spell check to fix the run-on sentences and misuse of words like "it's" and "its" would be nice, too. But the gorgeous graphics and new offerings like Gloss Toss, a girly version of Space Invaders, help make up for these flaws. The addition of the virtual world just gives parents of tween girls one more good reason to ante up a monthly fee to use premium features on the Miss O site.

Online interaction: Online interactions are friendly and positive. The site helps ensure this with a pre-scripted chat mode and profanity filter. If offensive language does slip through,  users can notify moderators with a few clicks of the mouse. The site rewards friendly overtures by keeping a running tally of hugs received from other players.