Lego may be just plastic blocks of colour but it has the power to keep children and adults entertained for hours, and has a timeless appeal. So how does virtual Lego compare to the original? One of the latest titles to be released in the Lego Creator range is Knights' Kingdom. This is a virtual construction program set in the medieval period and is a great way to introduce kids to cognitive play, it says here.

The player can create their own imaginary medieval kingdom with the help of miniature figures such as Richard the Strong, King Leo, Queen Leonora and Princess Storm. You can design and build a castle, select battalions of King Leo's heroic knights and watch them do battle against the evil Cedric the Bull. Other options include constructing siege towers and medieval keeps along with the traditional pursuits of jousting, archery, dragon slaying and rescuing the odd damsel in distress.

This medieval construction program is chock a block (ahem) with features and contains six easy to follow challenges. The possibilities for your own mythical land are endless. Aimed at ages 6-99 (sorry, Queen Mum), the program has some useful shortcuts including the Destructa brick feature where you can deconstruct a model in half the time it took you to construct it.

Lego is a brilliant stimulus for a child's development and can inspire kids to use imaginative role-play and exercise their own creativity. The models you build can also be painted, so the program also helps to encourage early design/colour recognition. This build and play style adventure, however, will take up quite a bit of hard disk space on your computer - 450MB to be precise - and players will need a 3D accelerator card to get the most out of the program.

Verdict
Children will love this addition to the Lego range as it combines adventure with imaginative play. Parents will like the fact that there aren't any small bricks to lose down the back of the sofa. But for younger kids and drunk students, we reckon the real thing is better for developing hand-eye co-ordination, shape recognition and other 'real-world' abilities.

Company: Lego

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