The Virtual Laboratory (VLab) project at the Singapore Polytechnic is described in this paper. The objective of this project is to develop a computer-simulation based virtual laboratory that runs over the internet / intranet. The experiments contained in VLab are targeted at enriching and enhancing basic engineering education. This will enable many students to perform laboratory experiments remotely over our virtual college network. The design goal of VLab is to help students develop rich mental models about the domains they are studying, At the same time, VLab is also a toll to infuse analytical thinking and problem solving activities into the curriculum.