I just finished attending a several-days long Halloween party, but I didn't have to worry about laundering my costume or providing a hostess gift.

In fact, for the past month I've been changing my hair color and style on a regular basis, plus picking up plenty of boutique-quality clothing, all from the comfort of my computer. I've put on fashion shows, gone jelly-fishing, gotten some pretty nice items from a wizard, and raised 24 (and counting!) pets. I've thrown a bunch of parties, including messy pinatas, but haven't had to lift a finger to clean up afterwards.

My boys and I have been checking out Fantage. While its name references a Fantastic Age, I like to think of the title as "fantasy" as well, which is pretty darn fabulous. (After all, how else could a 30-something-year old woman get her teenage body back?)

I had the opportunity to meet one of Fantage's founders last month to hear about the thought that went behind this thriving online community for kids.

Safe Socializing

Safe interaction online is a big deal, and Fantage is one of those sites out there that creates community without risk. From chat algorithms that prevent reveal of personal information to plenty of reporting (and suspension) features to avoid bullying, these online friendships are of the supportive nature rather than the hurtful.

Frankly, I'm less of the "chat 'em up" personality, and more of just the "people-watcher" type, which is exactly the main customer profile, as according to the Fantage founder I spoke with. Fantage is more about playing games and checking out the "items" that others have accumulated and less about the chit-chat, although socializing is definitely available. My youngest son is extremely social, so has become friends with tons of buddies with whom he chats on a daily basis. My oldest son is like me, so we spend our time on Fantage doing games to earn "gems" and "stars" that can be used to purchase special items (super powers, hoverboards, clothing, hairstyles, costumes, pets, and even new eye colors.)

Engaging Games: For Fun or for Smarts

I like the "mind teaser" games ("brick breaker," "candy swap," and "staries" - all that involve pattern-solving) but became pretty enamored with the "fashion show" game as well, where I must select virtual clothing based on a theme, then perfect my runway posing. (I've won many times even though in real life my solid, short statue would hardly earn me the title of Supermodel.) My sons love racing their pets, especially when tied to their mathematical ability. Yes, that is right, these games are educational too. "Off the Hook," for example, combines an olden-day talent competition's "hook" with straight-up quiz-style knowledge: you better know your stuff, or you'll be pulled off stage. The Fantage School also has dedicated classrooms for educational games. Teachers/homeschoolers can create private classrooms if they like.

The one drawback with the games is that there is no way to "pause" them. Many are live-action that involve other people, so of course there can be no break. But most of these games are not very long, so it is okay. But some other individual-style games have the potential to go on for a looooong time. For many of the brain-teaser-style games, to pause the game during a level would be cheating; however, being able to pause in between levels would be nice! (A mid-level pause might block out the screen to prevent cheating. Otherwise, how can I answer the telephone without forfeiting?)

Fantasy

Being able to "reinvent" oneself virtually can be a ton of fun. My sons and I have enjoyed "buying" new outfits, hoverboards, and a variety of other objects, both for our outward appearance and to increase our inventory for the fashion show game.

The "pets" your Fantage character can acquire are not of the dog and cat variety, either. From fiesty firepuffs to friendly rainbows or ribbons, these beat a goldfish any day.

One concern that I discussed with the Fantage co-founder is the automatic sorting of "boy" and "girl" items. I'd love to be able to purchase some traditionally "masculine" items for my character, or wear short spiky hair one day, and I know my son would love to purchase pink shirts for his character. In Fantage, you must select a gender to receive either a male body with spread out legs fixed in a confident stance or a female body with demure crossed legs. Luckily some of the costume items can make the girls look pretty "fierce" or I'd be concerned that these body positions have some sort of greater meaning. Still, I wish there was just a standard body that all items and hair could be applied upon.

Although Fantage tops sites like Club Penguin in many areas, I'm afraid that in terms of awareness of self, I prefer the ability to just be a penguin, whether pink one day or blue the next, with no assumed gender roles.

That said, I've embraced my cute little female body, and have enjoyed dressing it up online. I've also enjoyed purchasing and decorating a home that doesn't come with a mortgage. I selected a Rubik's cube for my home, and am definitely reliving my 80's-based teenagerhood.

My boys and I were given premium memberships to test out Fantage, along with some eCoins, so we had the advantage of being able to purchase items a bit more quickly in this online world. Basic membership is free, so any character can play games to earn "stars" that can be used to purchase basic items, but there are "luxury" items that are only available to premium members, and some items that are discounted if paid for with purchased-with-real-money "eCoins" rather than the earned-virtually "stars." Non-premium members (those with a monthly, quarterly, or yearly account) can purchase and use eCoins, but you receive more eCoins for the same price if you are already a premium member. There are a variety of different ways to be a member and to have eCoins, so peruse the options to discover what is right for you!

Not surprisingly, premium membership (and/or purchasing eCoins) definitely has its benefits, so - like in the real world - those with more (real) cash will get ahead faster. But, also like the real world, currency can come with hard work and patience, too. For example, although I had the eCoins necessary to purchase "magic codes" to instantly hatch my pets, I decided to go the traditional route and wait for them to arrive.

My kids and I have had a lot of fun playing both together and independently on Fantage. We definitely had a blast during the Halloween event, where I happily added vampire teeth and bat's wings to my clothing inventory, and trick-or-treated the shops in the Fantage world to earn coins, gems, and other items. I'm definitely eager to see how Fantage transforms itself for the winter holidays, although the basic world is impressive on its own!

Check out Fantage, and perhaps purchase a membership for your favorite kid. (Gift subscriptions are available!)

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Thanks to Fantage for giving me and my boys premium memberships to try out the various features of their online community. The words and opinions expressed above are my own.