I was searching for virtual worlds today. What I found, after several different combinations, were many worlds that were both virtual and free - at first. None of them are exactly open-source, though some allow user modifications.

Second Life, for instance, has several analogues these days. In Second Life (SL to its users), one can join free, and visit places free, but one doesn't have a place to call their own, nor in-world money to get "cool stuff." You can, of course, put real cash into online accounts and get in-world money to spend. It's a real transaction, and many games that are "free" do this to earn funds. The price is hidden, and it's a bit too dear for most.

Other worlds, even though they say "virtual world," they do not mean 3-D. Two-dimensional worlds are difficult to immerse oneself into, and rather challenging to get structured for focused use for business or education. The price still isn't right.

Enter the virtual environment of the Wonderland engine. Yes, it's still new. Yes, it has incredible potential. Yes, users can set it up and use it for free. Now the better news: no, there are no hidden fees, real-to-virtual money exchanges, and the like. Yes, there will be more and more modification one may do, both to the avatars and to the worlds one builds. The engine and environment are open-source, so they will continue to improve because of the desire of the community to enhance their experiences.

All in all, the price of Wonderland is very, very good.