Even though Nicktropolis offers avatar creation, navigation through interconnected rooms and a variety of different events and activities for kids, its primary draw seems to be as a gaming and interactive content tool. It seems that users almost never chat in Nicktropolis, and while avatar selection is varied in that different theme areas require their own avatar sets, the range of options within a given set is relatively limited-- it's clear kids go to Nicktropolis to play, not to lead a multidimensional virtual life.

The games aren't great, either-- the interface is a little sticky, for one thing, and this affects everything from gameplay to object interaction, like placing furniture earned with points in your room. The interface just doesn't feel particularly fluid. It isn't clear, either, which Nicktropolis rooms have games inside and which don't-- if you're looking for something to do in-world, the best route is simply to explore. The points system encourages exploration too-- it's just as possible to earn points by luckily stumbling on Nickelodeon "blobs" that appear randomly and grant points based on their color, or by completing scavenger hunts announced in-world.

Rooms frequently contain simple interactive content-- objects that play sounds and perform animations if clicked, like a mummy that pops out of a coffin in the haunted house. It's never immediately clear which these are and which are just simple background, but the rooms are all fairly well-made in terms of detail, and users can easily make a quest simply out of finding these occasional surprises, even if they're disinterested in chat.

As a companion to the world itself, the interactive website that surrounds the Nicktropolis world has a lot to offer-- the games that can launch directly from the website are a lot more involved, perhaps geared for a slightly older set (though no more stable in terms of interface than the in-world games), even offering the option, in some cases, to design one's own levels.

The overall look and branding is delightfully consistent and familiar-- the themed areas based on the TV shows are an especially cute idea, letting users step into the world of the characters they enjoy most. Nickelodeon's signature branding is universal throughout, with the cartoony, ever-so-slightly sugar-hyper, off-kilter quirk humor (and slime!) that even users outside of the target age range might recognize from their own childhood. In that sense, Nicktropolis is enormously effective as an extension, or extrapolation, of the experience and flavor Nickelodeon television fans enjoy. Spending time in Nicktropolis is merely a more interactive incarnation of Nick's most popular TV lineups.