So! Build-A-Bearville, then. I was a little unsure what kind of experience I was (personally) going to get out of the online world as I am neither a particular fan of the brand nor part of its average demographic (which, by the looks of things, is children and the same kind of middle-aged women who used to collect Beanie Babies -- who, it appears, also have their own virtual world of sorts.)

One of the first things I noticed with Build-A-Bearville is that the experience is more 'complete' if you have a recently purchased Build-A-Bear. As I've said in previous atlas entries I receive no stipend to purchase these kinds of extras, and though I spent a brief moment browsing the physical toys at the online store (I thought Tropical Hello Kitty was very cute! It's sweet that she tans) I decided to forge ahead and experience what is on offer for players who haven't picked up a "furry friend".

As a world that's orientated completely toward children, there are several devices in place to help avoid wrong doing, starting with name selection (you choose your name from a pre-approved list: I stumped for Cornelius Bearcub, in tribute to Achewood's Mr. Bear) and you can then select your character's look. Something very surprising that's instantly obvious -- the game makes no distinction between girls and boys when you purchase or select clothing. So, you can dress your boy up in dresses if you like. Unusual! But fair, I guess!

After starting in Town Square you can go on a tour of the world with "Bearemy" Build-A-Bear's (quite dull) mascot where he'll introduce you to the majority of the world's aspects. It's here you'll experience the first of many (so many) bear related puns -- most of which are "bearly" acceptable. "Beary" as a replacement for "very"?

I started in the world with 1000 Bear Bills, so I thought it was of utmost (or perhaps "bearmost") important to pick up some new clothes. Well, I decided that after finding that by not having purchased a bear, the "Cub Condo" part of the world (i.e. the home that characters own) was unavailable to me. So I headed off to the "furbulous" (groan) fashion district and spent 400 bear bills on a track jacket. After wandering about and socializing with the players for a bit -- the requirement that all players start at "safe chat" meant I was only able to talk using keywords, but like any system since Phantasy Star Online, it's perfectly acceptable, if slow -- I decided to play some games, many of which are easily accessible through the user interface.

There are a very wide selection of games, including, perhaps unusually, several which are multiplayer (which use a simplistic sort of lobby) such as Bear-to-Bear Baseball. There are many of the usual suspects (flash developers will never get tired of hangman, apparently) but there are some cute fudges to make games non-violent -- the usual mouse-based Operation Wolf type game is replaced by one where you click hopping bears to receive hugs! There are also some nice "message" based games about clearning your room and recycling.

Playing games gains Bear Bills (and a decent amount, too -- I almost paid off my new track jacket in a short period of time) and also gains the player points for a rudimentary level like system of statistics including "fashion" and "community." Players can also go on quests in the world (such as walks to find discarded recyclable items) too.

Build-A-Bearville has entered a crowded genre -- MMOs attached to physical toys – but is it one that stands out from the pack? I'll give my take in the upcoming conclusion.