Category: Reviews

Vita Camino is a region design whose work I’ve covered numerous times in these pages, as she always creates something richly detailed, photogenic and fun to explore.  During the time I’ve been covering it, Vita’s work has expanded from Homestead designs to Full region settings – notably Lost Gardens of Pompeii, which I covered back in June 2023. As such, I thought it was time I took a time to her latest region design, which she opened in March 2025.

Diamond Moon Village is again located on a Full region, and offers a mix of locations and environments split between two land masses separated by an east-west channel of water, offering two very different, but equally engaging settings.

However, before I go any further, I will note that if you have most of your viewer settings dialled-up, you might encounter performance issues. To this end, I’d recommend cutting back on things like Draw Distance – you won’t lose anything from view; the nature of the region is such that you don’t need a DD high enough to see right across it.

I’d also note that as the region doesn’t have a defined Landing Point, so for this article I’ve arbitrarily set the one in this article to the north end of the main bridge crossing the region’s channel.

As noted above, the two halves of the setting are very different in look and tone, making for an interesting exploration – although the also flow together into a whole.

From woodland at its eastern extent, through what appears to be a little grouping of homestead farms, the landscape proceeds through a small town of mixed European architecture before reaching its western extreme with an almost Caribbean feel courtesy of the gaily-coloured vendor vans, the local beach huts and the palm trees as it reaches the sandy shore (where it appeared further construction was underway at the time of my visit).

A lot of detail is to be found here: furnished houses, places of business, indoors and out – including a charming al fresco café with something of an Oriental lean. There are neat little courtyards furnished balconies (including one with an upright piano which has lost some of its sheet music to the cobbles below, courtesy of a passing breeze.

Through the village, cats prowl (and play with a motorised mouse!), dogs prance, flowers grow in pots, and all the bric-a-brac and might be found along the cobbles of streets and alleys, breathing a measure of life to the setting.

Across the water to the south, the land has a very different feel; one I admit to finding more enigmatic and engaging. This is a place that has a sense of mystery, of strange magic to it. Ruins of various ages set to the eastern end, gathered around a large, clear pool of water. Part of these have been converted into a house (using one of my favourite buildings, Marcthur Goosson’s  No Cottage Bizar).

Further cosy residences can be found in moving westward, each one homely but still carrying an edge of mystery, up to and including the manor-style house at the western end of the setting. This air of mystery is added to as the EEP settings change as one advances, moving from day to night and back, offering additional depth to courtyards and alleyways – and opportunities for photography casting parts of the setting in a different light compared to standing within it. Again the level of detail is excellent and fully deserving of careful exploration.

Also waiting to be found within the southern extent of the region is Vita’s texture store – but I’ll leave you to find it!

 SLurl Details

• Diamond Moon Village (Diamonds, rated Adult)

Three million years ago (more or less!), a volcano estimated to be up to 5,800 metres tall and within what is now Tanzania, Africa, blew its top and collapsed in on itself. Today, the remnants of massive eruption form the Ngorongoro Crater. Located 1,800 metres above sea-level, the crater floor covers an area of 260 square kilometres and sits over 600 metres below the surrounding crater walls. It stands as the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled caldera crater, and in 2013 was made one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

The crater sits within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Directly abutting the Serengeti National Park, the NCA forms a part of the Great Migration trail, a circular route an estimated quarter-million zebra, 1.7 million wildebeest, almost half a million gazelle and hundreds of thousands of other African game follow annually. As such, the NCA – and Ngorongoro Crater – is home to a rich diversity of animal life (together with birds), and is a major tourist destination, attracting 500,000 visitors a year.

The Crater is also the inspiration for the latest iteration of LeLoo’s World, Critter Crater.

Embark on a breath-taking tour of a crater inspired by Tanzania’s iconic Ngorongoro Crater, where adventure unfolds in exhilarating ways. Whether you choose a rugged jeep tour or take to the skies in a silent glider, you will be met with a landscape brimming with untamed beauty. Or, take the zipline ride into the heart of the crater, where you can explore on foot. Many scenic vistas await at every turn, offering the perfect backdrop for capturing those cherished summer memories.

– LeLoo’s World: Critter Crater description

Obviously, trying to recreate an entire caldera in SL isn’t really feasible; however, working with just half a Full region, Leloo (LeLooUlf) has done a remarkable job in providing hilly, rugged terrain backed by tall peaks, complete with its own small-scale crater with an animal watering-hole covering part of the floor. In addition, the landscape extends beyond the crater, presenting elements that might be taken as the shores of one of Tanzania’s may lakes (Lake Manyara, perhaps, given its proximity to NCA?) and a little hint of plains land.

The Landing Point sits on the crater rim, close to the eastern end of the region, and immediately reveals this is a setting with a lot to do as well as see. There’s a zip line to carry visitors down into the crater, passing over the watering hole in the process (itself a nod to the lake within Ngorongoro Crater?). Or, for those who prefer, there is a microlight air-tour with a very appropriate name given its somewhat Heath Robinson look: the Rickety Cricket. Best enjoyed in Mouselook, it offers a nice eagle’s eye automated tour of the setting (you don’t fly it yourself), lasting 4 minutes.

If zipping and taking an aerial tour don’t appeal, it is also possible to circumnavigate the crater rim. Doing so offers a full view of the setting, together with steps down into the crater or out to the land beyond the crater’s walls. And, as an aside, those taking the walk should keep an eye out for tour jeeps, which also use a part of the crater rim, and also for the opportunity to take your photo with a couple of the locals!

The start of the jeep tour can be found in the lowlands west of the crater, alongside the local market. Like the microlight tour, this is automated, and will last some three minutes, and, again like the microlight, is suitable for individuals and couples / pair.

In terms of the wildlife within Critter Crater, this is – like it’s real-world inspiration – a rich variety to be found: elephants, lions, giraffe, leopards, hippos, gazelle, African buffalo, hyenas, zebra, crocodiles and more. There are even some interesting characters not generally native to Tanzania to be found in the form of tigers, stoats and sloths, all of whom offer a curious little twist to the setting. The birds and wildfowl are also diverse, with flamingos being the most numerous.

There are multiple places where visitors can take a seat and relax, both up high and down low. Those feeling darling and float among the animals at the main watering hole – even right up close to hippos, despite their nature. If this doesn’t appeal, there bathe can also be found in the pool close the waterfalls in the western part of the setting, whilst fishing can be found just of the western coast.

Speaking of the western end of the setting, there is a house located up on a high plateau there. The land is labelled as Katie’s Home, and I’m not sure if it is public or private, as there are indications it might be either (e.g. being on its own parcel whilst having sign boards in the grounds offering visitor teleports to the air and ground tours). There are no signs to suggest it is private, and the grounds are where a couple of the local tigers might be found. I’d therefore suggest that if you wander up to it in search of the tigers, keep out of the house, just in case!

I admit that I personally found the environment settings perhaps detracted from the beauty of Critter’s Crater (I opted for setting with more of a HDR lean when exploring / photographing), but that’s a minor personal preference. The flipside is there is no mistaking the attractiveness of the setting, or the fun to be had in visited and exploring.

SLurl Details

• LeLoo’s World, Critter Crater (Friends, rated Moderate)

Yoyo Collas – he of Borkum fame (which I last covered at the start of the year) – is now back with a new Homestead region design in the form of the rugged, mysterious islands of Luna Sea, assisted in his work this time by AmyDenise.

These low-lying islands, sitting under a misted sky marked by a recently-risen Sun, are home to a plethora of wildlife, and form an interesting and interconnected trio. Between them they are rich in detail, colour and opportunities for exploration, relaxation and photography.

The Landing Point sits on the largest of the three islands, a long finger of west-pointing rock where hardy grass, shrubs and a few headstrong trees with their back bent as if twisted by ocean winds over the years, have gained a toe-hold.

The ground gives the suggestion of a possible volcanic origin, which together with some of the mammals present – notably the walrus and grey seals – suggesting the islands could be a remote part of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province; not that anywhere in SL has to be based or inspired on any actual physical world location, this is just a game I like to play in the hope of additional sparking imaginations. A colony of eared seals has also come ashore close by the Landing Point, further suggesting a north Atlantic vibe to the islands (although eared seals can in fairness be found the world over).

This island is dominated by three structures. Two are built out over the waters between it and the southern island, and the third –and largest – raises itself over the island’s high point on study legs – although “high point” is here a relative term, it being little more that a hump of rock at towards the island’s eastern end and sitting just a little above the island’s general elevation.

Reached via stairs leading up to a central covered deck, this large unit forms a comfortable home sturdily built in steel and wood, the decks available on three sides offering commanding views to the west, north and east. It does not appear to be a private residence, but open for visitors to enjoy, the décor perfectly put together by AmyDenise.

The two buildings built out over the water share a common deck. They stand as a pair of artist’s studios and the local café offering refreshments on the seaward part of their shared deck; just be prepared to share your nibbles with the local kitties! This deck also offers sheltered moorings for boats visiting the island. In addition, a large fishing trawler sits alongside, whilst pedal boats are tied-up below one of the studio units. Access to the majority of these moorings from the eastern ends of the island is prevented courtesy of the pier bridge connecting to the second largest island – although this pier can (and does) also offer places where boats can be brought alongside and moored.

Roughly half the size of the main island, the second isle is more of a bump of granite shingle rising from the surrounding waters. Again, shrubs and grass cling to it, together with a single tree. However, its most striking feature takes the form of two large huts.

These look as if some giant hand has taken the hull of a wooden ship and planted it keel-side up on the island, before using a cleaver to slice it neatly into two halves, then moving them apart. They are set as a surfer’s retreat and workshop, and thus suggest a further geographical influence for (and mystery to) these islands. A further geographical mix is added by the presence of several giant turtles, monitor lizards and red-crowned crane (whose height strongly suggests they will brook no argument from mere humans!).

The third island lies to the north side of the region, barely off the coast of the main island. So close, in fact, it is connected by a short, low wooden bridge passing over a narrow neck of shallow wetland, suggesting that it one time the two were once a singular landmass. Further shallows lie to the west, extending both to the main island and out to where a trio of massive wind turbines stand as sentinels watching over the setting. With nets staked out across their length and breadth ready to herd fish into their various traps, the nets have become a feeding ground for egrets, seagulls and heron.

Largely comprising igneous shingle, this smallest of the three islands has a single blunt thumb of a thumb-tip of rock poking upwards, capped by the most extraordinary structure. Resembling a recently-landed space vehicle, it is reached via step hammered into the rock on which it stands, its upper level marked by four large, leaf-like hatchways folded back to reveal its interior. Here can be found a celebration of the island’s most mysterious inhabitant, and the one which perhaps brings visitors to the islands’ shores: actias luna, the luna moth (aka the American moon moth).

A mysterious silence reigns on a remote, mist-shrouded island of black sand and jagged rocks. Sharp cliffs rise from the sea like ancient sentinels, and strange, silvery plants grow among glittering lava rocks. This is where the Luna Moth lives—a rare, luminous creature with moon-coloured wings that only appears at night. Its silent flight seems to pierce time and space, as if guarding the dreams of the island itself.     

– Yoyo Collas’ description of Luna Sea

This is not the only place these North American moths might be found; at least one pair are hiding in plain sight on one of the islands. However, I’ll leave it to you to find them and the little family of meerkats which has also made the islands its home 🙂 .

Beautifully conceived and executed, Luna Sea is a highly rewarding visit – so do be sure to hop over and explore!

SLurl Details

• Luna Sea (rated: Moderate)

Dear Inara,

I’m writing to warmly invite you to visit Caerleone Manor, a recently completed destination in Second Life inspired by the elegance and cultural richness of 18th–19th century grand estates. The region features formal gardens, a grand ballroom, intimate salons, equestrian trails, and curated event spaces — all designed with immersive detail and historical ambiance in mind.

This was the opening to a personal invitation I received from Sethos Lionheart to visit his – frankly – stunning Full region design celebrating a bygone era of grand estates and magnificent homes. It was an invitation I was delighted to take up at the earliest opportunity for two reasons – beyond the extreme grace with which it was written, that is. The first being that I am a lover of what we in the UK call stately homes and thoroughly enjoy visiting them and appreciating their history. The second being that I have admired Sethos’ region designs, having written about them in the past – but to my shame, I’d actually lost track of his work.

As noted in the extract from Sethos’ invitation, Caerleone Manor (Lionheart(?) Manor) seeks to evoke the grand estates to be found across much of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries (although its style perhaps suggests a strong French architectural influence). It’s not the first such region design to do so (perhaps the multi-region Angel Manor stands as the most famous example), but it is undoubtedly one of the best, and in being set within a single region, offers one of the most concise and visually engaging demonstrations of how a slice of physical and cultural history can be immersively brought into Second Life for the appreciation of many.

What is particularly impressive about Caerleone Manor is the fact that it brings together all the major aspects we find within a stately home held by a single family over several generations, all without ever feeling cramped or overcrowded. Building are all neatly spaced apart, giving lots of room for the gardens to breathe; the gardens themselves follow the familiar lines of such formal spaces, utilising geometry to present a sense of balance and harmony. Part of the estate  – notably the chapel and family burial area – given the estate a sense of established history; while the house itself speaks to potential generational occupancy – or at least, it plays host to a richness of family history.

In fact, this sense of familial history and the passage of time might be seen as existing within the buildings of the estate. Located to the rear of the main house, and elevated to offer a similar sense of command over the gardens, is the grand ballroom. It offers a different, and possibly later-era, architectural design compared to the house and its stables, suggesting it was built some time after them (the cocktail bar up on the gallery is certainly of a more recent vintage!). There is also an outdoor pool and terrace which might be a more recent addition to the estate.

The pool terrace offers one of a number of routes to a long ribbon of beach – passing by way of a magnificent folly. At the northern end of this beach is a further element which might conceivably been added well after the construction of the original house and outbuildings, in the form of an iron and stone (concrete?) pier with a distinctly late-Victorian lean. Such elements give a huge sense of the estate as a living entity, generations beyond the first placing their mark upon it in some way, large or small, living or sleeping within their burial houses.

While there is no grand approach to Caerleone Manor that is often in keeping with such great estates – the long drive being intended to focus the eye and awe of visitors on the grandeur of the house sitting at its end -, the house does offer grounds beyond the immediate buildings and gardens, again in keeping with such grand estates. These grounds can be explored by following the paved road that loops out from the carriage house to pass before the gates of the main estate (and the Landing Point) before then looping around the east side of the main estate and making a return. The road can be followed on foot or on horseback – a steed can be rezzed from the courtyard doors of the stables.

There is so much attention to detail outside of the main house that time should be spent exploring the paths and outer buildings; I particularly likes the two pavilions flanking the main garden and sitting between the main house and ballroom. The mottos inscribed over their entrances beautifully speak to life as they reveal the intended use.

Also within the grounds is a little kitchen farm, complete with hives for honey, chickens for eggs (and poultry for the table!), sheep (likely also destined for the dining table by way of the butcher’s cleaver) and a hutch of rabbits (which probably weren’t kept for petting by the children!). Also within the grounds is a feature oft found among grand homes: a hedge maze, this one offering those finding their way to its heart the opportunity for a dance – so taking a partner when following its paths are encouraged!

The House itself is beautifully furnished and rich in décor. The reception rooms and salons on the ground floor offer just the right mix of comfort and ostentatious design often found in these houses (take the monkeys holding up the room lights in the dining room!) without spilling over into gauche. The walls and ceilings feature beautiful panelling and decoration to give them a suitable Rococo sensibility.

The paintings and wall hangings all speak to the core period represented by the house, and more besides. In regard to the former, works by French artists Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Boucher, together with pieces by Giovanni Paolo Panini – notably his Departure of the Duc de Choiseul from the Piazza di San Pietro (1754, and now displayed within the Staatliche Museen, Berlin) and View of the Campidoglio (1750) are to be found on walls. Meanwhile, carefully hung tapestries speak to much earlier periods, their presence suggestive of commemorating family history, whilst Auguste Bonheur adds a further Victorian era touch, although the precise time frame for the house’s presence to remain fluid within Sethos’ stated 18th-19th century intent.

As well as being historically relevant, I found the mixing of French and Italian artists, together with the statue of Napoleon Bonaparte to be found within the gardens as a reason for thinking the house is of French origin. Taken together,  they brought to mind Napoleon’s foray into Italy (1796/7) with its associated territorial gains for France, and which came just prior to his ascendancy to the position of Emperor (1799). However, this is my personal view, and not anything which may have been intended by Sethos; so take it with a grain or two of salt 🙂 .

Like stately homes in the modern era, Caerleone Manor does not only stand as a monumental to  bygone eras; it also hosts events and gatherings. These will commence on June 9th, 2025, with the Grand Opening of the house and its gardens estate, featuring the music of Jess Blues and an exhibition of  art by Hermes Kondor. Information on the Grand Opening and other forthcoming events can be found on the website accompanying the Manor. Meanwhile, the wrought iron conservatory in the ground appears is if it might be suitable for weddings.

With more to be discovered than I’ve covered here (including the opportunity to rest in the woods!), Caerleone Manor is a genuine delight and feast for the eyes of the detail-oriented. Or to put it another way: a must-see destination for Second Life explorers!

SLurl Details

• Caerleone Manor (rated Moderate)