Safety 'Net

No pop ups. No ads. Can it be? A site free of the nuisances of traditional online gaming? Hasbro's Tiger Electronics, Pawtucket, R.I., has made it happen, and has done so specifically for the Web's most impressionable fans: those who need their play world protected from inappropriate advertisements and off-site links.

Targeted for ages 6 to 11, the Net Jet system plugs directly into a computer's USB port by way of a standard-looking game controller that kids then use instead of a mouse to control game play; a special game key inserts into the controller and instantly transports kids into a secure game world. It's this walled-off online environment that's expected to be the selling point that persuades many previously Web-wary parents to stock up on additional titles. Another attractive element: players get three extra Flash-based, mini "choice" games with each key purchased for a "feature" title.

The Net Jet system hit retail shelves this past February in New York as a test market, a strategy that Steve Flege, director of marketing for Tiger Electronics tells Playthings will help the company in its national launch of the game system this fall.

"It takes a while to get a product into market with all the store displays," he says. "By launching in New York first, we can better tweak our marketing message. We can test it and make smarter decisions."

A 7-inch video unit with a Net Jet controller will be available to retailers so kids can demo the games before purchase. Once they are hooked up to the Net Jet system, they can also sample other titles from home. Targeted more for mass, Flege says that they will also work with smaller stores across the country as well as attempt to "take Net Jet to where the kids really are"—malls, movie theaters and theme parks. "The big thing in retail is that kids get what it is," adds Flege. "They kind of go crazy in wanting it when they see it working."

There are 40 games in the initial launch, 10 of which are "feature" titles. Proprietary games among the 10 include: Super Soaker Water Fight, Mission: Paintball, Bubble Bonanza, Marble Blast XP, Kool Kart Racing and Peak Performance Snowboarding. Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network-licensed feature games include SpongeBob SquarePants: Pizza Toss, Fairly OddParents: Roach Rampage, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Buggin Out and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy: Freaky Freezeday. The additional 30 games are considered "choice" titles.