Parents' Guide to School of Dragons

Kids who are fans of the How to Train Your Dragon movies (and Cressida Cowell's books that they're based on) will love the chance to jump into the world of Berk, training the dragon that they'll eventually fly, race, and explore with. School of Dragons follows the movies closely, with all the key characters included in the game as quest givers. Graphics are superb for a browser-based game, and actions are simple; even flying is forgiving. Quests are varied to keep repetition low. Plus, educational aspects are subtly woven into the story, which shouldn't turn off educationally averse kids. (For example, the alchemist talks about using the scientific method to complete tasks.)

Kids observe and record the method and results in their in-game journals, which provides a sense of accomplishment instead of the usual one-click crafting recipes that are unlocked as a reward in many other games. There's a lot of reading, so younger kids may need sibling or parental help. Parents also have the ability to disable the game's multiplayer aspect so kids can't join clans or meet other players online. This does block some parts of the game, such as team-based dragon racing, but kids can still play against a computer-generated team. This is a small inconvenience for an engaging title that manages to educate at the same time.