by John Gray

Created on: December 27, 2007

Upon first logging on to Pogo it seems like another great game site with many free games. The options on the left-hand side of the screen show a limited variety of game types, such as puzzle and word games, but hey it may be worth look.

Upon clicking the sports section at the bottom of the page I decide to have a look at "Pebble Beach Golf" as this looks like fun, and it will pass on a few minutes. I am taken to another screen which wets my appetite further, as I am now viewing an overhead shot of the golf course and it looks quite good.

After looking around for the start button I realise that this game is only available if I register with the site, something that I don't want to do, having only just visited the site. So disappointed, I return to the main menu.

This time I go to the puzzle selection and view the options available to me here. I select a game called "Chuzzle" for no other reason than I like the look of the image, (as there is no information about the game to go on). Here, like the golf game, I realise that I cannot play this game because I am not registered. Upon closer inspection the only games I CAN play without joining the site, and getting all the junk mail associated with it, are two measly games, "Poppit and Word Whomp," anxious to play something, anything, I click on "Word Whomp".

Here a whole new window pops up which tries to get me to sign up to the site before giving me the option to "continue to game," I click this. I play a quick game, without any explanation of what I am supposed to do, but I realise that I have to find as many words from the six letters that the little Beavers, or whatever they are, are holding up.

After the three minutes are up, in which the little Beaver things keep shaking their heads at me in an angry manner, a pop-up comes upon the screen, basically telling me that I have got six billion tokens (whatever they are) for having spotted a few simple words, urging me yet again to join the site.

It is at this point that I just give up. If they are this insistent in ramming the website down my throat at this stage, how many emails are they going to send me each week? Am I forever going to be haunted with little Beaver things bugging me to "sign up premium" or to "download the latest fantastic game?" One thing is for sure I am not going to sign-up to find out.

I quickly log off before the Beavers try and get me to sign up to the "latest credit card deal" or to "take out a new low interest loan." Maybe I am overreacting here a little, but why is it so difficult to view things from a potential customer's point of view? Does it make good business sense to pursue your potential gamers to insanity? I am sure that the site has many satisfied customers, but I will never stick around to be one of them.

Learn more about this author, John Gray.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.