As I focus on the categories for the evaluation on this game I ask the reader to keep in mind that this is a game for kids. We are not solving massive puzzles or fighting intense PvP battles here. The kids I have spoken to during the time I played loved the game. There is no real age limit set, or at least not one I have seen. Even a five year old player was able to fight Cogs without my help and knew which ones where low enough level for her to challenge. I do think that by the age of twelve or thirteen children may move on to some more intense games, but there is still plenty of fun to be had in Toontown.

Graphics - 7

The graphics of Toontown are simply cartoonish, but that is the point. The looks of the toons you can create are fun, but the only real variety came from the face and head. The body types of toons were very simple. I went with a fat little monkey which still makes me laugh when he runs around the screen. The toon buildings are very colorful and bright offering funny names for players to enjoy, a stark contrast to the evil Cog corporate complexes that the toons have to bring down in order to keep Toontown happy. The Cog headquarters are bleak and barren, a clear picture of corporate waste and development. The fishing graphics are simple and easy along with the graphics for many of the trolley games. While Toontown will not be breaking any ground on the reality front, the graphics are fun for what the game needs to be.

Sound - 6

The sound in Toontown is certainly silly and funny. Some of the effects are good, some could be better. The splat that comes with pie throwing at Cogs is a especially good. The music played during the speedway races is average. With kids in mind the sounds are fun and silly. I do wish there was more variety from the Disney characters though. Mickey, Goofy and Donald were limited in their speech and only made one sound when a talk bubble arose. Great sounds effects came from the fish you catch in fishing, like the little star fish who sounds like Elvis. Overall, the sounds could be expanded by developers to bring variety to the toons and Disney characters.

Role-Playing - 6

Coming from a kid's perspective, the role-playing elements of Toontown are friendly but limited. The biggest concern is that the chat menu is quite restrictive. There is only open Chat between players who are Secret Friends. Secret Friends are players who establish a password with permission to open a Chat together. This is basically set up for any real life friends who play together from home. The security on the Chat is high to protect kids from bad language, etc. That being the case, there are only limited selections of what you can and can not say. While I agree with the protection of children in an online environment completely, this feature does limit what a player can and can not communicate. Still, Disney provides a Chat system to cover most instances.

One great element is that you can always call for help or in turn help players when fighting Cogs. If you see a player struggling in a Cog fight, it is easy to jump in and help. Also, players do not have to form groups. The can simply enter a building together with whomever is standing on the street outside. This easy play style allows players in the community to work together much more quickly and easily. Any large group of players can go in and try to topple a Cog Headquarter, which is essentially considered some type of end-game dungeon.

There are events like Fishing Bingo and the ability to play against others on the Trolley Games. One aspect which was fun was the Tag Game where you chase other players while trying to collect ice cream cones. Also, being able to race against other players on Goofy's Speedway is a blast. Despite the limits on chat, the ease at which the community can work together Toontown offers some role playing possibilities. They are however very limited.

Value - 10

Any parent will know why I score Toontown a ten on value. The value is that it keeps kids active in a fun environment that they can enjoy with their friends from home. At $9.95 a month with no retail price Toontown is a very easy game to set up and play. Kids can keep busy for hours doing toon tasks, racing carts, or playing games. Or, simply hop in and out for parents who do not wish their kids to spend the entire day on the computer. For a parent to spend a small amount a month to keep them entertained is priceless. The entire set up took me under 10 minutes.

Fun - 7 (Kids - 9)

I gave the fun score on Toontown a seven for a very simple reason. It is the average of the two scores that I think the game will fall under. Your kids will definitely have fun with this game. The kids I spoke to about the game all said it was great fun. From their perspective I would give the game a score of nine.

As an adult or teenage gamer, the game will get boring quickly. It is not fast paced or action packed. The fighting is easy and scaled so you know which Cogs to fight and which to avoid. From a regular gamer perspective, I would give the game a score of four or five. Goofy's Speedway was definitely fun, but again the races became redundant after a while. Perhaps if the developers were able to expand some content in the higher level zones like the Brrrgh! Or Donald's Dreamland it would boost the drive of players toward those levels. The task line of getting the Cog disguise and being promoted by them is very funny. More tasks like that will certainly help drive the game further.

Community - 9

They are mostly kids after all. I found many players to be helpful and bail me out of fights when I was in over my head against the Cogs. Despite limited chat there are plenty of games and activities groups can do. The ability to switch Districts (or servers) to where the population was higher helped me when looking for races at Goofy's Speedway. Joining players on the trolley for games was also great fun. In a game that is designed for kids to have fun, I do not think you get the large egos that some hardcore gamers may carry.

Performance/Lag - 7

The game runs entirely off the Internet so there are some lag issues to be had. The day any MMORPG comes out with zero lag issues I will be amazed. I run a fairly fast PC and still found that downloading races or games took a few extra seconds than I would like. Mostly I believe this occurred because you are waiting for other players to download as well. I was only kicked off a few times for lag related issues. Because of Toontown's simplicity it runs fairly well on any regular PC.

Customer Service - 8

The team at Toontown does a great job of making sure the players are happy. Things run smoothly whenever there is an issue. I have seen other MMORPGs company who fall incredibly short in this area. I am happy to say Toontown's staff does an excellent job.

I will say that Toontown Online is a great game for kids to get started in. While the game may not hold the same appeal for hardcore gamers, it still holds all the basic elements of a fun online game. It is also a perfect game for MMO-parents who wish to bring their children into their favorite passtime. Thanks Disney, for getting the next generation of online gamers started early!