Helping my son LEAP ahead ~ LEAPSTER is cool!
Written: Nov 23 '03
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Pros: Color Backlit Display; Touch Screen with stylus & directional pad
Cons: Hard to find accessories - newly released product; stylus has thin cord so durability questioned
The Bottom Line: I am very pleased with this product so far, but I've only had it in my home for nearly a week. We'll see how it holds up!
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| pictureperfect's Full Review: LeapFrog Leapster Multimedia Learning System |
This is the newest product out by LeapFrog and is geared toward the age group of 4 to 8 year olds. As the brochure states, this electronic game is "Learning For All Levels." Each game has three levels of difficulty, which changes the challenge of the game from pre-school through first grade.
The game requires 4 AA batteries or you can purchase a "Recharging System" which includes a rechargeable battery pack that you attach and then you dock your Leapster handheld to recharge the batteries. This accessory also comes with an AC adapter, so that the Leapster can be played while plugged into an outlet. *NOTE: As I stated in the "CONS", I haven't been able to find this accessory, so the information I have on the "Recharging System" is from the brochure I received with my Leapster handheld.
The Leapster handheld comes with a game cartridge that has six learning games. This cartridge must be inserted into the handheld, when you turn on the product for the first time. You will then receive instuctions on-screen, such as entering the name of the person that is going to play. When I first turned on the product and tried to enter a name on the screen, I found that the stylus would not pick up the letters that I was selecting. If this happens, you will need to calibrate your handheld. LeapFrog supplies a sheet within the instruction manual on the steps involved to calibrate your Leapster. The instructions to calibrate are easy to follow and to complete.
Once you have set-up your handheld, your child will be ready to play one of the games. The games on this cartridge are Catcher Fields, The Chicken Coop, Rabbit River, The Shape Shop, The Color Corral, and Musical Meadow. These games teach many different elements.
Catcher Fields teaches letters and sounds and as you move to a higher level, spelling of one-syllable words that are 3 to 5 letters in length.
The Chicken Coop works on a childs visual memory, using sets of colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. It also works on spatial relationships to help the child understand the position of objects in relation to one another.
Rabbit River is similar to the old game Frogger. You have a rabbit that must hop onto the floating logs to cross the river. As the child progresses through this game, he must listen and then hop on the appropriate shape, letter or number to cross the river. This game is geared toward number recognition mostly.
The Shape Shop offers the player the chance of free play, which means that the child can choose the shapes to make their own picture or the child can choose a level and then match the shapes to the picture on the screen. The different levels of this games involves using the stylus to pull the shape to the appropriate place on the screen.
The Color Corral is a chance for a child to be creative. This game allows a child to color the picture however they want. It also includes atmosphere options, where the child can make the picture be day, night, rainy, sunny or even with snow. Since my son loves to draw, he enjoys this game.
Musical Meadow teaches a variety of musical styles which includes country, jazz, blues, classical, rock, reggae, Latin and Cajun. The cello, trumpet, harmonica, accordion, banjo and a few other instruments are introduced to the child while they play this game. My son also enjoys music, so this game is a huge hit with him!
As I stated in the beginning, this game was just released this week and the accessories will be available in the coming weeks. LeapFrog will offer four additional games for the Leapster. They are as follows, with details obtained from the brochure:
Dora The Explorer, which will include 5 learning games and 3 interactive storylines that teach pre-kindergarten and kindergarten skills. The Dora game teaches more than 45 skills in letters and phonics, counting and patterns, science concepts, spanish language and critical thinking.
SpongeBob SquarePants will have 5 learning games teaching more than 45 skills in phonics, spelling, consonant blends and digraphs, money concepts, science, addition and subtraction.
Leapster Kindergarten will offer 6 games that teaches 45 reading and math skills.
Leapster First Grade will offer 6 games that teach 60 reading and math skills.
Another accessory that they will offer is a Leapster Carrying Case, which will hold the Leapster handheld and 6 cartridges.
The stylus is attached to the handheld with a thin plastic cord. I'm not sure how this will hold up over time, so if I have one concern about this product, that would be it. I have found that I can simply press the area on the screen with my finger and it works like the stylus, so I suppose if the stylus cord broke and the stylus were lost, then the game could still be played by using a finger or another blunt object on the screen. The handheld comes with a flexible plastic cover that you attach. The purpose of this cover is to protect the screen when the product is not in use.
As for battery usage, so far, I haven't had to change the batteries, so I feel that it is comparable to other electronic products on battery usage.
We've had this in our home for nearly a week and my 5 year old son loves to play with this educational toy. Every afternoon while waiting for his brother to get out of school, my son and one of his friends enjoy playing these games. Since my son enjoys this product, I will be purchasing some of the additional game cartridges, and I expect he will enjoy the games on them. My son is in kindergarten and all of the elements that these games cover are learning concepts that he will have during this school year. I purchased this product in the hopes that it would compliment what his teacher is teaching in school. So far, I haven't been disappointed with this product. My son has made statements that he has learned this in school and then he'll tell me about his day in class.
Overall, I am very pleased with this product and if I find it to be any different from what I've described in this review, I will revise my epinion.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 80.00
Type of Toy: Educational
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years
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Epinions.com ID:
pictureperfect
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Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 128
Trusted by: 51 members
About Me:
I'm a SAHM with 2 boys, ages 12 and 5 years old.
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