| Here is one handheld gaming system that both parents and kids will be able to agree upon. The Leapster Learning Game System takes the brain-building principles that Leapfrog laid out in its early electronic learning devices (which have an interactive book format) and applies them to a video-game format. Leapster draws kids in with familiar video game templates—all of which have a secret weapon: a built-in learning component. LeapFrog hopes that kids will become so engaged in the gaming aspects and familiar television and movie characters offered by this toy that they won’t even notice they’re learning and reinforcing valuable reading, math, and language skills.  | | With the Leapster Learning System children can play games, read books, create art, and watch videos. | Aimed at kids ages 4 to 8 years, the 6-by-4-inch Leapster is sized for little hands and comfortably shaped with safe, rounded edges. The 2.25-inch touch screen is ample for most of the gaming activities; although a little cluttered when used for the art and drawing modules. Buttons are suitably placed on either side of the unit for thumb-operated control. The right side features "A" and "B" buttons for selecting settings and answers, while the left has a multi-directional gamepad for game play. A stylus is also attached for drawing, selecting tools and settings, and dragging and placing objects. The 3-inch backlit display makes games visible in the dark (although parents will prefer that the Leapster is shut off at bedtime) and the animated graphics, while not completely state-of-the-art, are well done and suitable for this age range. As with the manufacturer’s LeapPad products, the Leapster does require the purchase of additional cartridges to expand its capabilities. Kids can choose from a star-studded list of their favorite characters to play educational games with, such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, Nemo, Cinderella, Batman, and more. Leapfrog’s own cartoon star, Tad, narrates a few as well. While stocking up on the extra software titles can get expensive, it gives parents some control and input on which characters they’d like their kids to learn from. Plus, characters for these titles are appropriately matched to the maturity of the targeted grade level (pre-K through 4th grade).  | | This handheld system is a perfect fit for small hands and easily portable. | Starting up or hitting the Home button takes players to the main menu. There is one pre-loaded game that children will likely come back to again and again. Rabbit River is based on the Frogger game format but with an additional learning element. In letters mode, kids guide their bunny to hop floating logs to the other side of the river while jumping on specific letters to identify them or spell out a requested 3- or 4-letter word. In numbers mode, the bunny must land on specific numbers on the logs to skip count by twos or form a correct equation. Another pre-loaded activity is Color Corral, an interactive coloring book designed to boost creative problem-solving skills. This module is like a kid’s version of Photoshop and offers a variety of scenic templates, colors, tools, and moving icons that kids can combine for an infinite number of possibilities. The included manual gives suggestions on how to reinforce these math, reading, and art concepts in the real world. Each game offers multiple skill levels so kids can ease into new territory at the beginner level, then challenge themselves with more advanced learning problems as they understand the concept. If kids are stumped at any point during a game, they can hit the Hint button and receive a friendly push in the right direction from an animated tutor, Edison the firefly. Edison also appears automatically if kids answer a question incorrectly several times in a row and coaches the child to reach the correct answer. The Pause button lets kids stop the game for a snack break and pick back up again where they left off. Designed for portability, the Leapster fits easily in a backpack or tote bag and is ideal for more purposeful edutainment on the go, whether a quick game on the bus to school or hours of playtime during vacation travel. This learning system runs on four AA batteries or on a rechargeable battery pack when combined with the Leapster L-Max Recharging System (sold separately). |
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 I own both the Leapster and the L-Max |
| Review Date: May 12, 2006 |
| Reviewer: KC Twins Mom, Kansas City, MO USA |
I have two of these, one Leapster and one L-max that I got for my twins for their 4th Birthday a few days ago.
I let them play with their games for the entire day on their birthday, without restriction...all with a plan in mind...
The PROS:
Once the kids found out how much fun the games are and how easy it is to learn while playing, they won't put them down...you may not feel like this is a 'pro' except that now, I make them earn time on the games. They get 10 minutes for putting their toys away; 10 minutes for making their beds; 10 minutes for helping with laundry, etc...up to 1 hour of play a day...I HAVE NEVER HAD SO MUCH HELP AROUND THE HOUSE! As Dr. Phil says, "Find their currancy". Well, I have found it. They are doing what I ask, when I ask...if they don't, time gets taken away. I wish I had thought of this while they were potty training! This is working much better than the 'marbles' for allowance system...they have no concept of money yet. Great toy with lots of variations and levels of play. Good Job LEAPFROG!
THE CONS:
I went through 4 sets of batteries (for the entire day) before I sped out the door for a rechargable battery system. I'm going back again today for another recharging system. I've called Leapfrog and they said that the battery packs, themselves, cost as much as the entire recharging kit, so they do not offer additional battery packs for purchase. You can play with just the AC Adapter that comes with the recharging system, but that has been a pain so far, since one Leapster has a battery pack and the other has to be played off the AC Adapter, and then plugged back in to the recharging unit at night to recharge the L-max. I have forgotten to plug it back in a few times and had problems explaining that Mommy's memory is fading and that they will have to wait to play again until the batteries are recharged.
Overall, I love the product. I haven't had any problems so far, but the units are only a week old. We will have to see. I just love how orderly my house is now that I have found a way to tempt them into picking up their toys. And the tantrums are down as well. If they start screaming over anything, they lose time...my house has NEVER been so quiet since the day they were born! YEE HA!
UPDATE 7/23/2008
Both the leapster and the Lmax are still going strong, however the units are looking very, very worn, scratched and beaten because they are loved. We have an immense library of cartridges...19 at last count....everyone very unique, educational and entertaining. It's been about 2 1/2 to 3 years now and the rechargable battery packs are finally giving out. They just don't hold the charge like they used to. I have also bought the new Didj (see that review) and am never disappointed by Leapfrog. |
Wonderful!!!
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| Review Date: November 17, 2006 |
| Reviewer: R. Fenton, St. Louis |
Both of my daughters received Leapsters from Santa last year. My older one wanted a red one and my younger a pink one. The red one was an L-Max and this was the only pink one. I believe they now have a pink L-Max, but in my opinion spending the extra money on the L-Max isn't worth it. The only difference is you can hook it up to the tv, which we've never done because the whole fun of the Leapster for my girls is that they can take it anywhere. I was worried that the L-Max games wouldn't work on the "plain" Leapster, but that is not the case. All of the games are interchangable. However, you can't play a non-L-Max game on the tv, which again, doesn't matter to us anyway.
Also, I wouldn't bother buying the recharging station. We just use rechargable batteries and they work just fine. |
Fun AND Educational!!
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| Review Date: January 9, 2006 |
| Reviewer: GA Mom, South GA |
| My daughter wanted a Leapster for Christmas. I wasn't sure which was the newer model, the triangular one or the smaller, rectangular one. So, I bought both to try them out. Screen size was also an issue for me. I thought the larger screen would be better. But, believe me, the newer version (small, retangular) Leapster's screen is sooo much clearer, crisper, and the colors are more vivid! My 4 year old daughter has no problem manipulating the buttons or the pen and SHE loves it! She plays it all the time. Now, my 7yo son, who has a GB Adv. SP wants one, too! |
Let the Buyer beware!!
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| Review Date: December 27, 2005 |
| Reviewer: Susan, new jersey |
We bought the pink Leapster this year for our 4 1/2 year-old daughter and a green Leapster for our 3 1/2 year-old son for Christmas to replace their original blue and silver Leapsters which had been "loved" and "dropped" to the point of exhaustion. Having had the "original" Leapsters for over a year, my children acquired quite a few Leapster accessories... multiple game titles, rechargeable Leapster battery packs and charging docks to name just a few.
Not wanting to start from scratch, but wanting to purchase their new Leapsters in different colors, I contacted LeapFrog Industries directly (the manufacturer of the ever-popular Leapster and Leappad products) to determine if their existing accessories and game titles would be compatible with the newly colored Leapsters. I spoke to a representative in technical support who assured me that our existing accessories would all be compatible with the new Leapster. He claimed that all of the game cartridges and accessories for the Leapster and Leapster L-Max were completely interchangeable, and we would not have any problem.
After speaking with the representative, I ordered the new colored Leapsters online. My children opened their new Leapsters with delight on Christmas morning... that delight quickly turned into tears as we fruitlessly tried to install the Leapster battery into the new Leapsters. The old battery itself is actually bigger than the new Leapster... not even close to being the correct size, shape or dimensions.
After frantically racing to a local store yesterday to purchase two new charging systems (at a cost of $80), I contacted LeapFrog again. While they do admit to seeing notes from my prior call in the system, they claim that there is nothing they can do to assist us. The only advice offered was to return the two new Leapsters to the store, or to purchase the required L-Max accessories for this product.
When our children did finally have the opportunity to play with their new Leapsters, our disappointment in this new product deepened. It seems that two of the internal games that our children loved from the original Leapster have been "deleted" from this new version and replaced by a built-in Leapster software commercial.
The Leapster is a well-loved toy in our home, rich with benefits for both of our preschool-aged children. Don't let our bad experience sway your decision to purchase this product, just learn from our unfortunate experience and choose your accessories carefully. I would also recommend making your purchase through a retailer with a liberal and understanding return policy, such as Amazon.
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A sweet investment
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| Review Date: February 28, 2006 |
| Reviewer: Picky Parent, Maryland, USA |
| My daughter started out with the LeapPad, and my 3 year old son has the Little Touch LeapPad, My first LeapPad with desk, and the original LeapPad. We never owned the "older version" of the Leapster, so I never noticed differences. However, from what I've seen of my nephew's older one, I'll keep the new one. A slightly larger screen isn't important enough to me or my 7 year old to override the more bulky, less efficiently designed older one. Aside from this Leapster being very easy for my daughter to handle, she loves that it fits in her purse, instead of having to tote around another bag, and I love that it's so easy to change the batteries, she can do it herself! Also, neither my daughter nor myself have ever noticed "commercials" on it. I highly recommend the Leapster as a fantastic educational & fun alternative to video games-which aren't allowed in our home. Even the built-in games (including an educational version of my childhood favorite, "Frogger") are very fun. My 3-year-old son sits and watches and helps my daughter answer some of the letter & number problems. In the short time that we've had it, just from watching over his sisters' shoulder, he has learned his entire alphabet and can do simple addition too! A+ for this Leapster! I only wish there were more games available for 1st through 4th grades! |
awesome learning toy
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| Review Date: February 13, 2006 |
| Reviewer: C. Rich, |
I wanted to buy the older style leapster but this new style was the only one...the other one was "sold out" at every site I went to and I live overseas so I can't just go to WALMART or Target....so I bought this Pink (Rectangular) leapster for my 6 year old and she loves it!! (so do I)
I bought the older (triangle) stlye for my 4 year old son.
If you are like me I had a hard time deciding which one I should buy...the new one or the older one. I can't really say one is better then the other. They both have pros and cons.
Pros/Cons for the Rectangular style...
the back can be opened with a coin which is nice for travel. (I fly to the states a lot..14 hours is a long time)
it is a lot smaller in size and easier for little hands to play.
BUT with the smaller size comes a smaller screen. Which is the only con for me. (my daughter didn't even seem to notice)
The only Cons for me on the older style would be the pen and the back. You have to use screwdriver to open it....so while travling it can be hard to change batteries.
Which ever one you buy you and your child will love it!!!
The games are all awesome....My children really like the Kindergarten and 1st grade games, Dora and SpongeBob!!
Hope this is helpful. |
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