Enjoy Games --if You Can Ignore Ads

Food industry giants Nabisco and Nestle have cooked up Web sites children can sink their teeth into. But be aware that the fun and games of NabiscoWorld, Candystand and Wonka exist to promote products.

NabiscoWorld and Candystand

Playing with your food takes on a whole new meaning at NabiscoWorld, found at https://www.nabiscoworld.com, where nearly every activity has a Nabisco snack label stamped on it. Once visitors get used to this heightened version of product promotion, they’ll find NabiscoWorld loaded with a neat assortment of games, prizes and contests for kids to enjoy.

NabiscoWorld is designed as a virtual amusement park where six areas, each containing a series of games, can be explored. For example, in Adventure Land users can try out Quest for the Golden Oreo and Triscuit 4x4; on the Boardwalk, Ritz Bits Flip the Frog and Premium Jigsaw Puzzle Palace can be sampled. Other sections include Sports Land, Fun Zone, SnackWell’s Resort and the Imagination Factory.

The games at NabiscoWorld require varying degrees of skill and come with user-friendly instructions, but many require more dexterity than very young children can manage.

There also is an enticing goody bag of prizes including Palm devices, Game Boys, walkie-talkies, software, portable DVDs and more. These are awarded for achieving high scores in various games. The Promotions Pavilion is where players can view the list of current prizes plus special promotions such as Bee Prepared for Kindergarten and contests including the Chips Ahoy Win a Space Camp Sweeps.

Teenagers might enjoy visiting sister site Candystand, located at https://www.candystand.com, which showcases games stamped with the Lifesavers brand. Here the 30-plus interactive games have a slight edge to them, but they still are family-friendly. Parents need not worry that Nabisco is going to allow the LifeSavers Ultimate Music Trivia or Gummi Savers Limited Snowboard Big Air to resemble the latest “Quake” shootout.

Wonka

Nestle’s Wonka, found at https://www.wonka.com, is fully Wonkanized and serves as both a spirited advertisement for Wonka candies and a good-natured interactive playground.

Wonka is designed as a series of factory rooms containing games and activities, which take their inspiration from the children’s story character Willy Wonka. These include the Invention Room, where visitors can play Invention Trivia and Wonkarific Colorizer; Planet Vermes, which offers Wonkanoid Breakout Game and Space Rescue; and Loompaland, featuring such favorites as Animal Trivia and Animal Mix-Ups.

Between visits to candy-themed factory rooms, kids also can get into some brain food at the Wonka School. Here they learn about such diverse subjects as Ben Franklin, the history of the Olympics, Machu Picchu and how the Internet works. There also is a Teacher’s Office featuring lesson plans for preschoolers through sixth-graders.

A Club W membership is available for registered users at Wonka. This is a free service offering additional activities such as personalized birthday wishes, Wonka sweepstakes, a Club W newsletter, a Club W membership card and access to the Unpredictable Wonkanizer. The Wonkanizer is best described as a build-your-own interactive story featuring the user’s name and the ability to choose story paths through 90 illustrated chapters with 60 adventures to pick from. Club W membership also entitles the user to discounts at the online Wonka Store.

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Karen Jones is a freelance writer specializing in children’s interactive media.

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Kids’ Web Sites

NabiscoWorld

www.nabiscoworld.com

Snack-branded amusements

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Candaystand

www.candystand.com

Lifesavers games for teens

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Wonka

www.wonka.com

Candy-themed distractions