Common Sense Media Review
By Jinny Gudmundsen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gaming system is too hard for preschoolers.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
Hoping to appeal to preschoolers as young as 3, VMSILE TV LEARNING SYSTEM touts learning through video game and showcases a controller with outsize buttons and an over-large joystick. Kids play through side-scrolling games that require them to walk, crawl, jump, and dodge as Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Scooby-Doo, and even Spider-Man. The system comes with \"Alphabet Park Adventure\" software; the adventure part of the software offers some educational aspects, but they are clearly secondary to the gaming aspects. A separate section called Learning Zone offers stronger educational content.
Is It Any Good?
The gameplay is too difficult for the preschool crowd. Kid-testers younger than 5 quickly lost interest because they didn't have the hand-eye coordination and patience required to make characters jump at just the right time to land on moving platforms. The system provides a two-player option, but VTech missed the boat here too, because instead of having them play at the same time, it makes each child wait to take a turn.
With the current software, this system isn't a good fit for preschoolers, but can be fun for 5- to 7-year-olds looking to play video games. You might want to consider it if you have a child who is between 5 and 7 years old and he/she has older siblings who are gaming -- this is a way to help the younger sibling fit in. However, if your objective is to provide quality learning in a gaming format, choose Leapster instead.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether games that combine entertainment and education are as fun as games without an educational component. Why or why not? Families can also discuss playing the roles of their favorite characters. Which character do you like to play as?
Game Details
- Platform : VSmile
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : VTech Electronics
- Release date : December 3, 2004
- Genre : Preschool
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : September 26, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate