This paper focuses on the uses of virtual worlds for education and synthesises over 90 published academic papers, reports and educational websites from around the world. Virtual Worlds are an important tool in modern education practices as well as providing socialisation, entertainment and a laboratory for collaborative work. This paper focuses on the uses of virtual worlds for education and synthesises over 90 published academic papers, reports and educational websites from around the world. A taxonomy is then derived from these articles, delineating current theoretical and practical work on Virtual World usage, specifically in the field of education.