We weren't really sure what to get our daughter, BooBear for Christmas. Sure every commercial her her pointing going "that Mommy, I want that" including car commercials and for some reason this cake decorating kit (I suppose the 'promise' of cakes to come?). Regardless, at the age of 5 years old I know she's growing up but just not ready for some of the bigger kid toys out there. She also had an 11 year old brother who has been attached to his own portable electronics for years and while we weren't excited to have her become 'assimilated' we were ready if it were more... educational. She had been given a LeapPad system from friends of ours whose child had outgrown it and it had started to go belly up (new batteries didn't help, nor did any other trick we could think of - the poor thing sounded like Max Headroom stuttering up a blue streak).

The idea of the Leapster became cemented in my mind, at least, when I went shopping for it. At just under $60 for the hand held console that INCLUDED a couple games preloaded, made the decision easy. My son's DS had been much more than that; but a DS this is not. This is a learning only zone when it comes to the Leapster. We opted for the pink one as that is her favorite color yet it also comes in green. The unit looked very portable yet small enough for little hands to manipulate the buttons and best part, the included stylus is permanently attached to the system with a sturdy string short enough to use easily but not so long as to get easily tangled or impose a safety risk. The controls also resembled other controllers already on the market which is nice; the child won't have to learn and then unlearn a set of keys and buttons later on.

It takes 4 AA batteries and I did have a concern about battery life and how quickly we'd need to buy or insist on using rechargeable batteries. I found out online that there is a recharging system that can be used with the Leapster and it's cousin the Leapster L-Max but it's sold separately and we were happy to see that it wasn't needed to just get started. I say the less I need to buy to get a system started, the better!

I did want to get at least one extra cartridge for the system. I knew there would be games on the unit she could play right away but also knew that an extra cartridge would offer her variety. There are a good number of other games available, some include licensed characters like Dora and The Backyardigans and others are generic non-character centric games. Most involve either using and building on math skills or reading skills or a slight mixture of both, but usually leans toward one side or the other. We settled on a Diego game as it got good reviews online when we went to go searching. I was able to find one we liked on sale for under $24.00 but most non-sale cartridges were around $24.99 for the licensed character game cartridges and just under $20.00 for the non-character ones. If you've ever bought game cartridges for, say, a DS, you'll see this as a bargain.

Christmas morning arrived and to say she was delighted to unwrap the Leapster would be an understatement. I've never seen a toy take a young child's breath away but it did indeed as she gasped out "This is eXACtly what I wanted" and proceeded to regain her composure and rip the box open. Inside was the Leapster itself and a protective flip-back screen cover that needed to be installed. This was a matter of popping two tabs into two slosts and we were done. It's nicely designed to stay attached permanently and close to protect the screen with or without a cartridge inserted. We also installed 4 AA batteries. I had taken the liberty of purchasing fancy 'high test' batteries designed for electronics hoping to see how well they may perform before needed replacement. Installation is easy and really requires no tools. A slight turn of the screw and sliding out of the battery compartment was done easily with a fingernail. Batteries snap in, compartment is reinserted, a turn of the screw (which doesn't fall out, nicely enough) and were were in business.

BooBear quickly went to work without any instruction. This system is designed for ages 4 to 10 and it shows. Reading is not required and not once did she bring the thing over to me to read any instructions. Voice prompts work in aiding the child and recognize when there's no activity and reminds the child, if needed, as to what the task was. The system isn't heavy and didn't seem to tire out our little girl at all. The buttons include an on/off button which is clearly marked by words and color to the upper right of the screen. Below that are an A and B button for game play. To the left of the screen is a multi-directional pad similar to others on other game controllers and hand-held systems. Above that are three special buttons: Pause game, Get a hint and Home. They allow your child to navigate the system easily and offers help within game play. The stylus 'nest' is below the screen and is very unobtrusive whether it's 'nested' or in use and of course if the child drops it, it remains tethered.

The system includes an educational game and a built-in art 'studio'. As mentioned, no cartridge is needed, so she started out with the base system. As soon as the unit is turned on and goes through it's 'welcome' phase (familiar to other parents of kids with hand-held game systems) which doesn't take long the child is presented with either playing the Rabbit River game, creating digital art or touring the Leapster learning game library.

The Rabbit River game will look familiar to us parents old enough to remember Frogger. Rabbits want to cross a river to eat their veggies. There's a math version and a reading version both utilizing the rabbits and their desired bounty of carrots.

In Rabbit River Math, you must help them across by hopping onto lots with shapes, numbers and equations on them. The object of the game is not just to get the rabbits across the river but to also respond to the questions. There are 4 levels of game play. Level 1 involves identifying numbers, counting 1 to 10, and the ability to distinguish between numerals from letters and shapes. Level 2 involves counting 1 to 99, counting by 2s, 5s and 10s and counting backwards from 10 as well. Level 3 has players identifying addition and subtraction symbols and using them to solve simple mathematical problems. Level 4 kicks it up a notch with multiplication.

In Rabbit River Reading, the game is only changed in content. Rabbits still need to cross, problems still need to be solves but now reading is the focus instead of numbers. Again 4 levels are involved: Level 1 has players identifying letters by name and matching them by sound. Level 2 involves building 3 and 4 letter words with the silent e rule. Visual clues are provided to assist. Level 3 involves actual spelling of 3 and 4 letter words with the silent 2 rule, again with visual clues. Level 4 has players spelling 4 and 5 letter words with consonant 'blend' and 'complex vowel rules'. On this level, the child has the challenge of no visual clues.

The games advance through the levels of difficulty which allows this game to be used by a child whether preschool aged or through about 4th grade. Levels increase the difficult and challenge the child to build upon the skills already learned. Players can choose their level at the beginning of the game or after each round within the game. According to the Parents Guide, there are also 'secret codes' which can be found on their site www.leapsterworld.com and an interactiveness between console and online can happen when players find these secret codes and then enter them online for special prizes they can download.

The Art Studio allows a child to freely express their artistic muscles in the arena of digital art. Pictograms are used at the bottom of the screen that my daughter had no trouble deciphering and using right away to start drawing before I even realized it was able to do that (okay, I admit it, I didn't read the manual BEFORE she started playing). The pictograms allow a child to start with a fresh 'canvas'; add weather options (day/night - snow/rain); add stamp affects that include some that animate; the ability to choose between various 'media' like paintbrush, paint bucket, crayon, eraser and 'magic wand'; choose colors and patterns and a final pictogram that allows a child to undo the last action.

Now for the parent stuff. There's the game library as a final selection that I'm sure our kids will peruse and the list is also on the back of the parent guide. Most games have an age and/or classroom suggestion so we're able to assess whether the levels involved in the game are appropriate for our child. Obviously all games are designed for kids so no worries about picking up a Teen or Mature rated game. The console is pretty sturdy. My son's DS fell off a low coffee table and broke a corner off that had to be taped. My daughter kept dropping her Leapster off a cafe table at a meeting I attended and though it hit tile floor was no worse for the wear. This system is designed not only in content for kids in mind but also with the idea that children aren't the gentlest creatures in the world when it comes to their toys. I was a little worried about how she'd handle it as she's a rough kid when it comes to play and it seems to have held up just fine.

The parent guide is short, yet informative to help us figure things out and know what our children are in for when it comes to this game system. We've found this hand-held system to be very portable and compact though still big enough for a easily seen screen that is in full color and back lit, so eyestrain is not a concern if a child is in a dimly lit room. There are contrast and brightness controls that you'll want to set for your child so they enjoy the best possible view of their games. There's also an AC adapter jack if you get tired of changing batteries or recharging though there is no AC adapter included, you'd have to get one separately. Finally, there is also a jack in the system for headphones (or earbuds) and volume controls as well. Headphones are not included and the speaker on the system itself is very sufficient to get started. We have found that headphones make sense for our daughter in certain situations like the meeting I mentioned above. I will caution however that care should be taken when a child is getting up from the table that they remove the earbuds or headphones first. That's how hers ended up on the floor!

The only gripe I could possibly have with this game system is the battery situation. Let's face it, however, when you give a child an electronic device it will drain batteries. It's just the law of the land. Our BooBear had unfettered access to her Leapster and played it a LOT, especially the first few days she had it. She drained those fancy shmancy batteries in about a week's time. Now, it didn't mean those batteries were dead per se just not able to keep up with the demands of a high demand electronic device and are now living out the rest of their days in our caller ID phone. I put in a set of rechargeable batteries and she's been happy with it for about a week now though she's not playing with it nearly as much as she had that first week. She's enjoyed the variety of having a cartridge but also really enjoys the 'onboard' games as well and really gets a charge out of creating art without having to ask us for yet more paper. This is something SHE can have control over and that works just fine by us.

All in all I'd definitely recommend this to anyone with a kid who loves to learn without knowing they're learning. My daughter missed the Kindergarten cut off by less than 2 weeks so while she's stuck another year in preschool I feel now that she's more able to be challenged with things on her terms and ability and even beyond. Even when she's not learning reading or math just the eye hand coordination aspect is a winner. The price of the system and even the cost for more cartridges is well worth it and way more educational than what other electronic games I've seen, have to offer. I agree that this is great for kids ages 4 to 10 (I've caught my 11 year old playing this) and thanks to the Levels within the games a child is only limited by what they desire to be challenged with.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 59.99
Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years