Who's the target audience? Fantage is aimed at boys and girls ages 6 to 14, but even the most casual observers will note that the activities wield girl-appeal. Upbeat tunes top off a perky, kid-oriented feeling. What does the game look and feel like? This is definitely cheery kid stuff: bobble-headed avatars with immense eyes whoosh about on hoverboards amidst the bright colors of Fantage's traditional cartoon styling. There are also houses to decorate and pets to collect. Also big is the process of collecting clothes, hoverboards and new hairstyles via special gems found in mini-games and party activities here's where being a paying member counts big, since subscribers get three types of gems to regular members' one. More at the forefront, though, are opportunities to meet other players walking the runway at competitive fashion shows and attending or hosting parties offer the chance to earn stars (in-game coin) and rewards. There are missions (mostly more minigames and errands from NPCs). There are levels, although they're not central to the gameplay experience (and non-paying members level much, much more slowly than subscribers). ![]() What's the game all about? With no single game activity taking center stage, Fantage is more of a virtual world for budding social butterflies than a traditional MMO. Other premium member benefits include deluxe rooms, a 1,000-star (cash shop) signup bonus, the ability to earn and show off medals and more variety when collecting in-game stickers. Premium members rack up levels as they earn medals, while regular members plug along at one level per month however, leveling doesn't appear to have a significant impact on the fun. Since this is a big issue for most young players, this may weigh heavily in your subscription decision. The key difference between non-paying ("regular") memberships and premium membership is access to items regular members are limited to the most basic rung of clothing, hoverboards and hairstyles. Memberships ("premium memberships") start at $5.99 per month and get cheaper as you buy longer subscription blocks payment options are numerous, including credit card, a myriad of game card choices, bank transfer and more. How much does it cost? Fantage can be played for free, although subscribers get access to more features. Anyone with a browser and internet connection can play no downloads are required. What systems does it run on? Slower systems and overburdened hard drives, rejoice! As a Flash-based browser game, Fantage runs on any PC or Mac. Different game, different flavor - so let's investigate the attractions. So while she's still utterly captivated by the sparkling magic of a game like Pixie Hollow, this evolving little personality is hooked on Fantage's opportunities to show off her own style and personality via her avatar and accessories. We're even breaking away from class-specific gear sets to farm all the mats for her individually via hotly contested minigames all over town. The achievements are flowing: she's figured out how to use the Page Up and Page Down buttons to snag, she's acquired her first epic mount and she's become fascinated with the possibilities of /dance. I suspect the reason Fantage tickles my 9-year-old playtester's fancy is tied to the advancements she's been making with her real-life character this summer. ![]() ![]() Fantage (short for "Fantastic Age") has attracted nearly 7 million users since April 2008 almost entirely by word of mouth - how's that for kid power? ![]() Now that we've established that kids aren't gaming snobs and will dig into a good Flash game with as much relish as we grownups attack any top-rung MMO title, let's look at another up-and-coming Flash title for kids. MMO Family is your resource for leveling a gaming-specced family, from tips on balancing gaming with family life to finding age-appropriate online games for everyone in the family.
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