The initial experience of using There is pleasant enough, with a quick and simple download (followed by a quick and simple installation) and registering is incredibly quick -- far quicker than I've grown to expect, as the avatar selection offers three hair styles and three skin tones, and that's it!

Once you're in the world though it becomes apparent why -- because almost everything unique about your character has to be purchased. When I landed in There it was in the welcome area of Fisher Island, and from there, after getting myself used to the controls (arrow keys to walk and run, move the camera by holding control and moving the mouse; the usual sort of thing, but right mouse clicks make your character jump) I ran across to the "spa" area to change my character's appearance.

Unlike Second Life, characters can't fly (and there are some strict rules about where you can use vehicles) but a bonus is that the animation is very smooth. At the spa I fiddled with my character's look a bit without too much success (you're limited to making your character fatter or thinner in the head and body, more or less) and decided that if I was going to make my avatar look anything like me (a habit I can't break) I was going to need some clothes and a new hairstyle.

Well! As I said, almost everything unique about your character has to be purchased, and as I don't receive a stipend for use in virtual worlds, I was out of luck. Therebucks convert at around $1,800 to the dollar, and most clothes and objects start in the region of a few thousand Therebucks. You can't earn Therebucks in the world (i.e. by playing games, or anything like that) so the average user would be expected to invest some money into the world to get the most out of it.

Thankfully, there are "Try Me" machines located around the world with clothes that are free to rent for a few hours, and so I hooked myself up with some glasses, clothes and got rid of the awful sandals my character began with for some sneakers and I was off exploring. There's interface is kind of interesting -- a lot of things, such as shopping in this way, are achieved though using an in-game internet browser rather than through navigation of the world.

There is very much a social world. It's not that there aren't things to do if you don't want to stand around chatting to others, it's just that you better enjoy that as at least part of the experience as otherwise it's going to be a little flat! After chatting with some players in the starting area, I teleported around a few of the islands to see what was going on, and found users playing paintball, driving buggies, hoverboarding and other sports for the most part. I decided to join in.

Using objects, such as hoverboards and backpacks is fun and intuitive, and there are many races around the world if competition is what interests you, but like everything else, other than a starter hoverboard, if you want to do anything you either have to buy it or be lucky enough to find a Try Me machine that'll allow you to rent it free for a few hours. Worst, I felt, was that using vehicles is limited to the sometimes very small (and not obviously bordered) areas that are designated for them. If you fly out of the area? You're just instantly dropped to the ground and told "no driving."

At last I headed over to CC Metro, Coca Cola's sponsored area of There and (sadly) found it almost completely empty. I couldn't really find anything to do there, either! With that, I ended my time in There -- well, at least until my conclusion!