ROBLOX

ROBLOX is an online set of worlds, built with a virtual Lego-like kit, that kids of all ages can play around in.

To get the most out of ROBLOX, you have to sign up, which gives you a customizable character and a in-game real estate to play around with. There are two types of ROBLOX account – free and premium – and the privileges available to each obviously differ. In the online world, you can use various bricks to build whatever you want. If you need inspiration, you can look at other user's worlds or ROBLOX games they have created.

The first thing that'll strike you about ROBLOX is that it's a bit awkward. It's certainly kid-safe, but isn't really intuitive. For curious and technically confident children and teenagers, however, this may actually be a bonus. There's a great deal of freedom with what you can do, as long as you have patience! Building is much like with Lego - you make stuff from a variety of bricks. With time and effort, you can build enormous and complex buildings.

The ROBLOX user created worlds and games are impressive, but unfortunately, the game engine isn’t great and the camera can be very annoying as it swivels around and pops in and out of the screen apparently at random. Despite this, ROBLOX is really, really popular and has a lively online community, so some kids obviously enjoy it!

ROBLOX is a great idea - letting kids create their own online worlds that they can share with friends - but is pretty rough around the edges.