 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Leapster
- Leapster
- Price: $80
- Genre: Educational
Common Sense Media says
Leapster is a revolutionary children's product.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Leapster is a revolutionary children's product. It's a system many parents have been waiting for, because it combines the fun gaming experience typically found on Game Boy Advance with solid educational purpose.
What's it about?
LEAPSTER, a new portable learning system from Leapfrog, has entered the children's gaming arena to compete with Nintendo's Game Boy Advance SP (GBA-SP). Like GBA-SP, Leapster is a handheld system used to play video games. But unlike the GBA-SP games, Leapster games talk to the child, making it ideal for young children who can't yet read. In addition to the traditional multi-directional control pad, Leapster comes with a touch-sensitive screen and a special stylus attached to the unit that kids can use to create art, write, and drag objects across the screen. The system comes bundled with the video game Learning with Leap. Kids play six multi-level games, including a Frogger-type game that uses letters, numbers, shapes, and math equations.
Is it any good?
While both GBA-SP and Leapster feature a full-color backlit gaming screen and similar gaming controls, the new Leapster system has many features that distinguish it from GBA-SP and make it a much more appealing system for young children. More than just a handheld gaming system, it's also an electronic book reader, a digital art studio, and an interactive video player.
But what's really impressive is that the educational content and difficulty of the gameplay adjust on the fly. If a child is struggling with the arcade aspect of the game, it becomes easier. If the child is struggling with an educational concept, the content gets easier and a tutorial appears to teach the concept. For young kids, Leapster is leaving GBA-SP in the dust.
What families can talk 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?
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AGE
Wonderful 'toy'!
Instead of a gameboy, we chose to go the Leapster route for our 5 yr old son when he was then 4. He didn't touch it for about a year. When he turned 5 and was in Kindergarten learning his ABC's, that's when he really took to it.
I wish they had a wider selection of games to choose from, so from that standpoint this item is somewhat still limited. If you're in Canada like me, you'll be frustrated with even less choice that we have unless you order it online.
A great learning tool, something I don't mind my son picking up anytime he likes!
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AGE
The Only Game My Kids Play With
My two girls, ages 4 and 5, play their Leapsters non-stop. In fact, we had a buy a second one for my youngest because she kept taking her sister's under the kitchen table to play it.
Wish there were more games, but so far, the kids have loved every game they have tried.
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| Platforms: | Leapster |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Educational |
| Developer: | LeapFrog |
| Release date: | November 25, 2003 |
| Price: | $80 |
| ESRB rating: | E |
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