Last time I dealt with game systems was back in the 90ies, when I was hitting the tetris records at my good old Gameboy. But now I am a grown-up, and so I hardly have any time to entertain myself this way. However, I have a small brother and in two weeks he is having birthday. I have to make him a present (apart from all the books I have bought to him), which is to be not only entertaining but also educational. My bro is six, and he is a very smart young gentleman, so it must be something very specific, something that can really contribute to his development.
Usually when I’m doing online shopping I browse through all the e-shops and read all the reviews in order to make a bargain. This time as well I have found a device which was highly approved by all the parents: it’s LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System. Now I would like to tell you more about it and about educational game systems in general.
Find a good balance
When a person looks for a learning game system for his child, he first looks at its consumer characteristics, which are
- Fun. Of course educational games can be pretty boring, and you must check to avoid it.
- Educational. Sometimes children’s games can be much of a fun, but not educational at all.
- Durability. On the one hand, the games must keep a kid’s interest for more than one day; on the other hand, a game system can be used by children of different ages, because not a single parent is able to stand yearly purchase of a new system. And what’s more, kids are kids, and they can spoil any device within a week. So it must be really durable in this sense as well.
I think that LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System is an ideal game system if you take into account these three issues. So let us review the characteristics of LeapFrog in order to understand what’s so special about it.
A variety of games
It may seem that 2 games which are built in this learning game system are far from being enough. But the advantage is that you can buy additional game cartridges to expand the working possibilities of their educational system to a practically unlimited state. Indeed, the variety of games offered by, say, Amazon.com impresses greatly. Here you can find any favorite kids’ characters: SpongeBob Squarepants, Ariel the Mermaid, Cinderella, Nemo and many others. The games are based on the plots of many popular cartoons like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Cars and many others. This will impress any child: he will get involved into the games very quickly and study with the help of their favorite fictional characters.
Skills developed
Actually the strong point of this system is that the child is being educated thoroughly, for the games offered for the LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System are all very different. The controls are also very different, so that your child will have to push the buttons and draw on the display with a stylus which goes with the game system. Thus motor skills are developed very quickly. What’s more, as a manufacturer puts, playing these games develops the following skills:
- Phonics;
- Spelling;
- Math;
- Art;
- Music;
- Memory;
and even more. Impressive, isn’t it? I’m sure that it will contribute to any child’s development and even make him more fluent at school.
The strong point of LeapFrog games is that they are extremely user-friendly. They have good help and hint systems, a child can always pause and have a rest for a while (in case he wants to leave a game, which is strongly doubtful). I like most, that a child can lead himself from beginner to advanced level and thus become more fluent in some skills. I am sure, that LeapFrog is good for any child.
The characteristics will please anyone
So now let me tell you about the device itself. The advantage is that it is small and so is very comfortable for kids’ hands. But if you want to play it yourself, that may probably become a disadvantage. The display may also seem a bit too small, but for game purposes it is simply perfect. The design is also beyond any expectations: you can choose any color in order to convey your child’s personality – either pink, or green or blue. Moreover it has a headphone jack, so that the sound will never disturb anyone.
Most customers claim that the batteries have a very long life within this device, much more than in any game system of the same type. This will help you save money as well. But the most important for nearly everyone is durability of LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System: dropping the device, jabbing its display with a stylus and pouring some water on it hardly does it any harm. Such durability is actually very hard to find and thus vary valuable.
Customer’s feedback
The feedback is very impressive: 4.5 stars at Amazon.com, which is more than enough. Moreover it scores #4 at the Electronic Learning Toys & Systems top, which is simply wonderful. This is what the customers themselves say:
- The Leapster is probably the best toy we’ve ever owned!
- All three of my kids have one. I can’t believe how much they have learned.
- I am very glad we purchased this product.
- Best toy ever for those times when you need peace and quiet.
- Love it!
- Grandma was a hit with this Xmas gift!
Shops to buy at
Actually you can browse quite a number of sites to get your LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System. As for me, I would prefer Amazon.com: they have good customer policy and sell the device at a very reasonable price.
More reviews to look at
Sure, the Web is always full of them, it is not a problem. But as for me, I would recommend Amazon.com again, for they have around 800 customer reviews with some important advice concerning using, adjusting and troubleshooting. So good luck with your purchase!