Common Sense Media Review
By Jinny Gudmundsen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
I Spy books translate well on the Leapster.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
I SPY CHALLENGER for the Leapster system is a video game based on the popular I Spy children's books by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick. The software offers four educational games, each of which will get kids thinking -- and reading -- without realizing it. Riddle Race stays true to the book format: While kids perceive that they are simply hunting for objects in a picture, this visual puzzle game actually teaches visual discrimination, rhyming, vocabulary, word-object association, and reading.
In Match Attack, kids play a Space Invaders-type game involving matching like items. Kids line up an object at the bottom of the screen with a like object scrolling by on the top and then shoot it up to match it. In Oops Hoops, kids pick up and sort objects based on attributes, such as color, shape, size or function. In Grid Grab, they search grids of objects to find designated patterns of objects.
Is It Any Good?
Overall, I Spy Challenger makes an excellent addition to any Leapster library. Kids will enjoy the fun games -- and they're sure to learn something along the way.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about which of the four games they like to play most. Parents also may want to talk about the time element. Does pressure make the game more fun -- or is it too much?
Game Details
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