Prior to the movie release of Planet 51, young gamers can walkabout a virtual world with Planet 51 Online, an interactive multiplayer PC experience with character customization options.  The online game is free of charge for just getting in and checking out the environment, but parents may choose to purchase “tokens” via PayPal or pre-paid cards.

Tokens are the game’s virtual currency method for gaining access to certain areas within the map and adding items to your avatar.  Some items boost your character’s abilities.

When I found out that Planet 51 had released an online multiplayer game, I wanted to read up on the details and download it…you know, for, uh…journalistic purposes.  What!?  The age range is 7 and up!  I am certainly on the plus side.  But seriously, I registered and downloaded the content so my 9-year-old gaming guru can take it for a spin and give me his take on the quest.  Well, it turned out that other than specifying what kind of hair his character would have, he really wasn’t able to do much more.

The game kept freezing and/or loading…then some more freezing and loading…then it stepped outside for a coffee break…froze again, then loaded again.  You get the idea.  When I told my little guy that I had downloaded this for him to play and explore, he was all excited.  But unfortunately was more frustrated than anything with all of the downtime.

Now I am not necessarily bashing the game or service.  This very well could have something to do with our PC, or the fact that Planet 51 is still in the beta stage of development.  But just a forewarning for anyone out there looking to let their children in on the action:  Check the system requirements.

Leave your comments here if you have similar issues or quite the opposite experience.  I’d be interested to know either way.