LeapFrog LeapTV: Letter Factory Adventures

Despite some potential controller challenges, this is a creative and engaging way to introduce letter sounds and shapes to preschoolers. There's quite a bit of repetition, as each of the 26 levels is similar, but the mini-games at each stop are fun enough that most young kids won't mind. At stop 1, kids reach out with their hands to tap the letters that match the level. Stop 2 involves getting their bodies into a position that looks like the letter for the level. The game takes their picture and adds it to the Alphabet Book. The third stop is a bubble-popping game that helps kids recognize letter sounds as they pop on-screen bubbles. Once they've completed the whole level, they have a final challenge: They'll have to find the letter whose sound matches a picture shown (for example, N for "net").

The use of kids' pictures is a nice addition, and kids will be delighted to see their pictures appear in the Alphabet Song video. Though some kids will struggle with the pointer action in single-player, the multiplayer mode uses the stick and parents also can step in to help out with tricky letters and objects. Letter Factory Adventures is a wonderful early look at letters and letter sounds for kids, and it does a fantastic job of reinforcing the learning using body movements (both drawing the letters and making the shapes with their bodies).