Common Sense Media Review
By Christopher Healy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Reading lessons that may be too violent for younger kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
STAR WARS: JEDI READING gives players three separate mini-games in which they can learn and practice reading skills. One involves shooting down stormtroopers by tapping the ones with the correct word or letter over his head. Another has players piloting the Millennium Falcon, blasting letter-marked asteroids to spell words (and shooting down enemy fighters that get in the way). The third, Jedi training with Yoda, requires players to tap the correct letters on a series of floating rocks; occasional \"time bombs\" appear that need to be outpaced. In each game, players win starships, and after amassing enough fighters, they can lauch a final assault on the evil Death Star space station.
Is It Any Good?
Star Wars: Jedi Reading feels like it gets a little too caught up in its sci-fi trappings. The reading lessons are effective ones, but the act of using spelling games to kill enemy soldiers feels a bit too harsh for what you expect to find on the Leapster system. The Yoda game -- by far the least violent -- is also the most boring, and can feel repetitive rather quickly. There's so much that can be done with the deep and colorful mythology and characters of Star Wars, that resorting to a shooting gallery feels like a letdown. It may even feel that way for young fans.
Online interaction: Leapster 2 users can win rewards, like certificates or coloring pages, which can be downloaded from the LeapFrog.com website when the Leapster 2 unit is connected to a PC via USB cable. With an online account at LeapFrog.com, parents can also track their children's progress through this same connection.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the use of violence in a Leapster game. Were you surprised?
Did you want to play this game because it was about the Star Wars universe? Or would you have been interested if it has a different theme. What is it about Star Wars that draws you to it?
Game Details
- Platforms : Leapster , Leapster 2
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : LeapFrog
- Release date : July 1, 2008
- Genre : Educational
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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