What’s the Story?
Aimed at kids ages 4-10, SHIDONNI blends elements of virtual worlds, social networking, and creating. Kids start by drawing an animal that "comes to life" as an animation, dancing around the screen. Then, kids create a habitat for their creature, give it some food, and send it off into the universe to explore and play games. Kids can find friends online and send snacks and other goodies to their pals' pets. Users have the option of joining the basic site for free or purchasing a "pro" membership with special features for $5.95 a month.
Is It Any Good?
By letting users draw their own animals, habitats, and accessories, Shidonni puts a creative spin on virtual pet sites like
Club Penguin and
Webkinz. However, Shidonni's interface isn't very intuitive -- parents may have to help younger kids master the basic commands. And good
luck trying to draw an animal that's more sophisticated than a bug ...
or even a pet rock. Overall, Shidonni gets the thumbs-up for its creative concept and cute features -- like drawing snacks to feed your creature -- but could use an upgrade in user-friendliness.