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Animal Genius (Leapster)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 4, age appropriate for kids over 5; suggested age 5.

  • Is it any good?

    5.0

  • Common Sense says

    Kids will go wild for this educational game.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 5 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Kids learn about animals' habitats, characteristics, and behavior. Kids must also use skills -- such as deduction -- to win games.

  • Messages:

    Not an issue.

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    Not an issue.

  • Sexy stuff:

    Not an issue.

  • Language:

    Not an issue.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Animal Genius (Leapster) was written by Jinny Gudmundsen

Parents need to know that there's nothing to worry about here -- and kids will learn a great deal about animals. Parents will appreciate the voiceovers that identify all animals and words, making it easy even for non-readers to learn.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • Families can talk about which games are the most fun. They might also want to plan an off-screen animal adventure to the zoo (or the library) so that kids can show off their knowledge -- and enhance it.
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OK for Your Kids to Play?

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More on Animal Genius (Leapster)

What’s the Story?

Kids who play Leapster's ANIMAL GENIUS will learn about animals' habitats, characteristics, and behavior -- it's rare to find a game that makes learning science so much fun. This software works so well because it combines a fun quest -- winning 25 animals -- with innovative science games that kids will want to play. The object is to populate five habitats -- Grasslands, Arctic, Rainforest, Woodlands, and Ocean -- with five animals each. To win the animals, kids must play four games to win points and correctly answer questions about the desired animals.
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Is It Any Good?

The games play off of kids' natural affinity for mazes, "I Spy"-type games, and hidden-pictures activities. Music, interesting voices, and wacky facts help sustain kids' interest. But the real hook is the use of photorealistic material along with animations. For added interest, the software also randomly triggers an "Animal Alert" that sends players scrambling through each of the habitats to find an animal that's wandered into the wrong habitat.

Parents will appreciate the voiceovers that identify all animals and words, making it easy for even non-readers to learn.
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Publisher’s Details

Developer: LeapFrog
Released on: 09/08/2006, Price: $24.99, not online enabled
ESRB Rating: E

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