The words and design of websites assume a personality when people are given free rein to create content that visitors enjoy, writes Giles Turnbull.

But one company is actually creating personality, in the form of electronic characters as part of its research.

London-based digital designers Artificial Environments have created a website for their digital doodlings, called Shorts.

Here the company's designers and programmers have channelled their experiments into electronic character design, just to see how people react - and it's fun to explore if you have time to kill while online.

First, make sure you are using an up-to-date web browser (probably version 5 or above) with the Macromedia Flash 5 plug-in installed - get it for free from Macromedia.

It takes a while to find your way once you are in the Shorts site - it's a case of clicking on objects until you find one that does something.

Some you can drag around and others do odd things when you click on them, while strange bleepy noises in the background accompany you throughout your adventure.

And while the Shorts site won't keep you occupied for hours, it might spark your interest in digital characters.

These creatures have been designed to attract your attention and interest, and many are guaranteed to raise a smile or an eyebrow.

My favourite was the mysterious spinning man who hums until you click on him, when he becomes an annoyed spring making Zebedee-like noises.

Suffice to say that Shorts is a welcome and enjoyable diversion, as long as your computer, browser and internet connection are up to it.

Tom Elsner, designer and developer at Artificial Environments, said: Shorts is new world of small digital personalities and it allows you to toy with them, and just watch them evolve dynamically. They could be coy, disruptive, placid or hectic.

They can often take on traits of the person who created them, reflecting a particular mindset or current mood.

But don't take his word for it. Go to Shorts and see for yourself.