Common Sense Media Review
By Jinny Gudmundsen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Educational handheld for ages 5 to 8.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
What's It About?
VTech's VSMILE POCKET LEARNING SYSTEM, which plays software called VSmile smartridges, works best for kids ages 5 to 8. It comes bundled with the Zayzoo My Alien Classmate smartridge. Kids join Zayzoo, a cute alien, in an adventure that consists of four solid educational activities with three levels of difficulty. The smartridge also offers three more arcade-type games separate from the adventure (use the \"Learning Zone\" button), but they aren't as good.
Is It Any Good?
The features of this handheld are impressive: The high-resolution screen (320 x 240 pixels) is easy to see, and the sound is good. The unit fits comfortably within a child's hand (it measures 7.5 by 5 inches), and the outsize controls can be adjusted to accommodate right- and left-handed kids. There are also four colored buttons for expanded educational opportunities, a "help" button, an exit button, and one that launches "Learning Zone ABC," a special play mode. The VSmile Pocket runs on four AA batteries, but an AC power adaptor is available separately.
Earlier smartridges were pretty mediocre. Zayzoo, however, provides a high-quality educational gaming experience for kids ages 5 to 8. Watch for reviews as new software titles for this system are released.
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?
Game Details
- Platform : VSmile
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : VTech Electronics
- Release date : August 29, 2005
- Genre : Educational
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : August 25, 2016
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