Wonder Rotunda
Wonder Rotunda is an interactive website geared toward kids ages 7 to 12 that is a theme park like adventure where kids wander round the map learning and exploring about nature, biology, government and more.
Ratings:
Graphics & Audio: 15/25,
Gameplay: 20/25,
Creativity 20/25,
Fun 20/25
Total: 75/100
Wonder Rotunda is a website that is an adventure type exploration for kids to discover nature, biology, government and much more. The interactive nature is for kids to search the park and finding their own way through the park to discover areas they want.
Parents and adults need not worry about security or even advertising as the site is free of advertising, chat and networking aspects and even has a parent account setup. Parents need to create their own account before kids can wander freely about the park by themselves.
Wonder Rotunda is a theme park style adventure site where you first create your Avatar and then wander the park either going on adventures or other things just like you would do in a real park. The park has 15 major adventures such as diving the Great Barrier Reef, ballooning over the Serengeti or maneuvering the command module of the Apollo 11 mission.
The adventures are geared toward learning for the age group the site was designed for with simple learning like showing fish and other denizens of the Barrier Reef and giving a little information about each. The adventures include both information about each thing as well as things like environmental or health concerns and what you can do to help things.
The site also includes some informative information about healthy eating habits using the parks 12 food venders that will help show kids the benefits of making wise choices in meals and snacks. The park gives you money for completing each park adventure as well as coins that are scattered throughout each adventure for kids to spend at the vendors.
When a kid makes a choice for a snack or meal the site will give information about their choice and health information regarding either better choices or the advantages of the choices they made. The park also has an interactive side using a checklist in each adventure that allows the kids to check off things they learn about as well as a reason to go back if they did not check off each item.
I’m not sure kids will want to go back though as the adventures will play out the same way each time which brings up the graphics and audio. The game plays through a cartoon looking adventure and things look decent but are quite cartoon like in both the adventures and the park overall.
The Great Barrier Reef would be much better with real life pictures but on the other hand the human body exploration is just fine as it is. The adventures do play much like a cartoon without any choices in each adventure to go in any direction but the way the adventure is playing so there really is not much interaction once in an adventure.
Once in an adventure all the kids can do is check off an item on their list that pops up before the adventure and whenever they click on an item during the adventure. You cannot stop and return to the same spot in an adventure which would have been a great feature and returning to adventures after your child plays through it will probably not be interesting.
The park needs to change things around in order to keep interest in the park once kids have accomplished the adventures or their will not be much repeat visits. The side stuff like the vendors is kind of cute but I’m not sure kids will be much interested in this once they have visited it a few times.
Wonder Rotunda is very safe for kids as there is no chat or networking areas and no advertising so kids can be free to roam the park without a parent looking over their shoulder. The parent needs to open the account but kids can easily use their own password and sub account to visit on their own once the main account has been set up.
The site works well and is fun but I am not sure about repeat visits once kids have gone through the adventures but the site does cost for visiting. You can purchase a month subscription or a year one for $12 and $45 dollars respectively which is pretty good as games in general would cost that much.
Wonder Rotunda is an interesting concept and works perfectly but may not be much of an interest for kids after they have visited each of the adventures. You may want to get a month subscription to see how your child likes it and if they want to continue then look into further purchases.