A well designed and easy to use site (noddy.com)

Member Name: wednesday_addams

Product:	noddy.com
Date:	23/05/01 (1388 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to use, bright, colourful and attractive, excellent content

Disadvantages: none!

I was very impressed when I first discovered this site.

The front page shows a picture of Noddy in Toyland, and leads on to a menu page.

The menu page features a number of links to other parts of the site, set on a backdrop of toytown like hills and sky.

As you move your mouse over each link, it lights up, and you get a different sound for each one! aah... guarenteed to please any young child, and your average 16 year old...

The different sections of the site provide pretty much everything you could want.

The 'TV guide' provides information on all episodes and all characters. You can also download pictures of the characters to print and colour in.

'Information and Events' provides a background to the website, as well as information about the educational side of things. A guide to Noddy events throughout the country is also provided here.

In the book section, seemingly owned by Big Ears, you can do an assortment of things. You can write your own story, create your own story from the provided colouring in pages, read along with Noddy or write a book review. The ISBN numbers of all books are also given, to make purchase easier.

In the 'Goblin Theatre' you can download and watch clips from TV episodes or a demonstration of the Playstation game. For this you will need RealPlayer 5.0 or above.

The games and activities page is in two sections. One online, and the other offline.
The online section has a number of things. You can send Noddy e-cards to your friends, do some colouring, download a demonstration for the Playstation game or play that game where you slide tiles around to make a complete picture.
The offline section is excellent. You select an episode from the drop down menu, and are then provided with a simple and fun activity or game which somehow relates to the chosen episode. For example, the episode titled 'Noddy and The Kite' gives simple
intructions on how to make your own mini kite. Each activity is followed by a suggestion of a further related activity, usually progressing the previous one in some educational-ish way.

There is also a competition to enter, in which you could win a Playstation and the Noddy game.

'Dinah's Stall' provides links to online retailers who sell Noddy books, videos and other merchandise. Three options are given; Character Warehouse (which I strongly reccomend for merchandise), Amazon and The BBC Shop.

An opportunity to join the Noddy club is given on this site.

Overall, this is a well designed, easy to use and correctly functioning site.

The content is excellent. It is informative and entertaining, and provides hours of fun to anyone with any small liking for Noddy and other Toyland characters.

It is bright and colourful, with many pictures and sounds to keep small children interested.

The menu options are always present at the top of the page, so navigation is quick and easy.

I have experienced no technical difficulties with this site, all links are funtional and everything loaded easily.

Summary: