Your Virtual Pet Is Ready!. Review on Neopets

It's a common problem in many homes-the kids want a pet but the parents are dead chuffed with the idea. Who will clean up the droppings? Who will remember to feed the pet? Who is going to wash it? Where is it going to sleep? Oh no, Dad has an allergy! Yikes, it tore apart Mummy's best dress!Grandma is positively sick of the idea! Help!

In response to this problem, the Internet has come up with a good solution-virtual pet websites. These websites allow you to adopt a virtual pet and feed, clothe and groom it everyday. I tried three sites-Adopt Me, Misticpets and Neopets. So far Neopets turned out to be the best both in terms of account creation, website design, and virtual pet activities.

Run by the popular kids' channel Nickolodeon, the site is open to kids of all ages. Even adults can create accounts if they want. Since the site gets revenue from ads and certain premium services, all the accounts are free.  I think there is a premium membership, but so far I've not heard of any paid accounts.

If your kid has been begging you for a pet, there is no need to face any hassles. Not any does Neopets have innovative species-that is different animals modeled after real animals like'Lupes' and'Gelerts' from wolves and dogs-but it also provides suitable entertainment.

The site is based on a world called Neopia full of mountains, deserts, medievial castles, cities, and tropical islands. While one such place called Lutari Island is only available on mobile, all the other places are available to all users of any age. There are training academies, battledomes, shops, job agencies and plots. Plots are especially exciting. They are fun comics which involve taking certain steps  and collecting points to win trophies and prizes. However, you have to regularly check the comics as once a plot is over, you can't do anything more.

Some features of the site are annoying. For example, the Neopian Times which allows users to submit stories and articles has an Editorial that answers user queries. Sometimes, your query may not be answered. Also, if you wish to unsuscribe, then there are no replies to your e-mails. To access certain areas of the site, you have to wait atleast four months or so. The paintbrushes required to paint your pet are very expensive, and the games are often monotonous.

However, there is also the fact that the site is incredibly safe for kids. No abusive comments are allowed, ditto for abusive names. You need parental permission or you have to be 13 to chat on the Neoboards. If you want to submit a video, you can't reveal any part of your face. These rules can be annoying, but you don't have to worry about your parents raising eyebrows at any objectional matter.

Try Neopets. You'll love it. True, so if you're a new user, you may have missed out on many exciting things. But they keep introducing new features, so if you want, you can always create your account. You can even make side accounts. You are allowed to keep a maximum of four pets which you can either create or adopt from the pound.  If you want to find out more about the characters of the site, you can always refer to the Neopedia. You can even allow your pets to have petpets of their own, and these petpets can have petpetpets!

If you keep forgetting your login details, don't worry, unless you log out, you remain logged-in to the site even if you close the web page.