LeapFrog Clickstart My First Computer
by LeapFrog
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Toys and Games Reviews of LeapFrog Clickstart My First Computer
Customer Review: Very good, but limited
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this for my daughter who is two and a half years old. She already had good letter recognition, but not so good on numbers. She loves using our PC, so we thought that she could use something like this to learn how to use a computer and other skills without wrecking something much more expensive. Other systems had tiny monochrome screens so something that plugged into our tv for a large color screen was good.
The base unit can be powered using a generic adjustable power plug set at 4.5V, you don't have to buy the special/overpriced one, even though it is rated at 5V. Saves on batteries. For some reason, the wireless keyboard has no option for anything like that, which is annoying because it churns through batteries like no other. Part of this is because the slightest jossle will turn it on and it will remain on for a few minutes even if you leave it alone. Whenever it is on, it is transmitting, which affects my tv and cable box. I can't adjust volume or change channels because of the interference. You can tell when the batteries are getting low because the mouse stops working properly, but the keyboard continues to work fine for a long time after this first happens. The picture looks pretty poor on my 32" HDtv, much worse than standard definition tv, but fine on the 14" tv in the bedroom.
You can set the built-in games to two levels. To switch between levels you have to switch off the base unit and then back on again. Level 1 is basic and the games are all about using the mouse or keyboard. The child might get a bit of exposure to letters, numbers, and colors, but they just appear and are not the point of the game. In fact, only one of the games has any real skill involved, popping colored bubbles. There is no measure of improvement apart from the reward of bones which is partly random and partly on how well the child performs. Bones can be given to the dog character to make him perform tricks. My daughter got bored of this level pretty quickly.
Level 2 is more involving. One game teaches where the letters are on the keyboard, another shows how to spell simple words. Identifying numbers and colors is more in-depth, and one of the games involves more lateral thinking (such as "click on the object that you can eat"). Success is measured mostly by speed or correctness and if you do it quick or well enough then the following game is a little harder, but not much. For some reason, the keyboard game always starts with the same part of the keyboard, so a child will become very familiar with QWERT but less so with CVBNM, unless they always play the game 5 or 6 times every sesion. This might be just because my daughter likes to switch levels every other day though.
I'm a little concerned that the built-in games might be too limited for my daughter, she picks things up quickly but gets bored of the repetitious nature of some of the games. They might be too easy in a few months, so I'm sure we'll be getting a new game. It would be nice to know in advance what the other games are like since their descriptions are so vague, and how difficult they get. The built-in games are far too easy for a child going to school. A coupon in the box, for money off a new game, expired the same week we got the machine.
After noticing several times that the keyboard didn't always work, I discovered the reason: "rude" words. The "press any key" game blocks kids from typing any swear words or anything related to sex, genitalia, gays, even as part of another word. Scunthorpe, Massachusetts, and Essex inhabitants beware. It doesn't speak the words, just displays the letters on the screen, so it is just a silly limitation/censorship that creates confusion. If the child is typing rude words then it already knows them and this machine can't undo that.
Pros: Teaches computer use, literacy and numeracy. Can use a big color screen
Cons: Battery-only power for keyboard, very poor battery life, silly censorship, too easy after a while
Customer Review: Could have been much more...
Summary: 3 Stars
Let me start of by saying that I'm somewhat satisfied with some elements of this product. The build is good, the keyboard is above average, the quality of picture is not bad. So far, so good. I would also like to say that the keyboard and mouse are a tremendously great idea and would be a great introduction to computers for little kids IF they had been actually implemented to any useful and educational extent. As it stands, the reviewer who said that better educational software could be had over the internet is absolutely correct. The software that comes with this computer and even the software you buy for it is drivel.
Here's the rub, the software that is available for this device are the very nearly the exact same pieces of software that appeared on the LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System (Leapfrog's handheld) device in reduced form. Yes, let me rephrase that, the software you buy for this computer is less powerful than the software you can get for Leapfrog's handheld computer: the LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System. There's less to do, and what there is to do can be done without the keyboard!
Take for example the Dora software, there are three activities in the ClickStart version of the software. Those same three activities and TWO MORE are available for the Leapster. The same can be said for the Thomas software. The Animal Painting software doesn't allow freeform painting, instead it simple click to color a region painting which my 3.5 year old finds dreadfully boring. He kept wanting to do real painting, something he can do with the Leapster's built-in software!
To be sure, Leapster software is more expensive and in this case you get what you pay for. I had expected Leapfrog to do more than just simply port and reduce already existing software but alas, this new software doesn't even take advantage of the keyboard. Both the computer and the Leapster use a Flash engine, the same engine that is used to make games for various educational web sites. Truth be told, the games you can find on the net have more value than the games that come with this so-called computer.
If this is a child's first Leapfrog product then great, it's a real neat thing, it works beautifully and does the job admirably but if you already have a Leapster then please reconsider. If your child has already played Thomas and Dora to death then they will find nothing new in those titles on this computer. So far my son has found one activity he enjoys and that is typing. Something we let him do on our home computers already. He wanted more options (different backgrounds to type on, for example) within five minutes of turning this thing on. That doesn't make it a bad product but don't assume this will replace a full computer in the child's life.
It should also be noted that there is a profanity filter in the typing element of the built in game. It won't allow the child to type the word "Hello" which is one of the first words my son tried to type. This, in my opinion, is going a bit overboard. There seems to be no setting for turning the filter off.
I beg of Leapfrog to make more robust software for the device and in particular software that really exercises the keyboard. As it stands it's the lesser of two products. I'd recommend the Leapster over this one in a heartbeat despite the fact that the ClickStart has a keyboard and mouse. At the very least Leapfrog should have allowed the Clickstart to run Leapster games.
Customer Review: Very disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
This was our "big" gift for our 2.5 year old for Christmas. He played with his singing Spiderman more than this and we only paid 9 bucks for that! At first, he was extremely excited about the Clickstart. He tried out all of the activities but got bored with most of them within 10 minutes and rarely went back to them again. The one he did play over and over was the Type Time game in picture mode where an animal pops on the screen when you press a letter. He thoroughly enjoyed this in 15-20 minute spurts for the first week. Now already, only 2 weeks after Christmas, he goes to it, we turn it on, and he's moved onto something else within a few minutes.
I do think the toy is well designed and is very durable as is the case with all the LeapFrog toys we own. The games do seem like the had the right idea in mind. They do seem appropriate for a child just starting to learn to use a mouse and keyboard. However, most children, mine included, are going to learn how to use the mouse and keyboard very quickly, and once that's been accomplished, there's going to be little interest left in the games. At least that was the case in our house.
I am pleased that the unit taught my son to use a mouse, but I am convinced that had I gotten him his own mini mouse and hooked it up to my computer with some quality educational software, he would have learned just as quickly and I could have saved myself 50 bucks on this thing and put that into another 3 or 4 educational titles for the PC.
We bought 3 of the games for the Clickstart, including Finding Nemo, Backyardigans and Animal Art Studio. I feel completely ripped off after spending 20 bucks for each of these games. Each cartridge has only 3 games with only 2 challenge levels. I had to ask myself if I just set my standards too high because other parents seem to love the Clickstart. But after the Leapster and the excellent quality of most of the games for it, I had believed the Clickstart would be just as excellent. Sadly to say, the games are not even close to as engaging as my son's Leapster games are and the activities are extremely limited. Not to mention at least two of the games (Dora and Thomas) are exact replicas of their Leapster couterparts (with different names, no less!) but with about half the activities that the Leapster games offer for only 5 bucks more.
All in all, I was very excited to give this to my son, but it was a huge letdown for all of us. If you are looking to getting your child interested in computers and teaching them how to use a mouse and keyboard, just buy them a mini mouse that fits their hand and buy some educational software for your PC. If you are somewhat PC savvy, you can set up an account for your child and limit their access so they only have access to the programs you allow and they can't change your computer settings if they accidentally navigate away from the program somehow. You can get some great software titles for this age range for 10-15 bucks.
If you want an inexpensive, easy way to introduce your child to a multitude of learning games via mouse and keyboard, I recommend picking up Fisher Price's Easy Link. Yeah, you can access the websites without buying the product, but for 12 bucks, it saves you the worry of having to lock out anything that may be inappropriate for your child because it does it for you automatically.
Customer Review: Underwelmed
Summary: 1 Stars
We bought this product soley based on the reviews and high rating on Amazon and we have been really dissapointed. This is like 1993 technology sold in 2009. My daughter figured everything out in 1/2 hour and isn't challenged by this at all. She loves the idea of a computer and wants to play with it but the educational value is marginal. We have applications we paid $.99 on our iPhones that blow this away.
Specifically, you get 4 pre-loaded games for levels 1 and 2 (1 obviously is for toddlers and 2 is supposed to be more advanced). The games are so basic, our 2 year 4 month old got bored after a few minutes of use and no, she doesn't have ADD. She typically sits and plays with things for much longer. The first game is a bunch of oranges on a tree. When a letter is pressed, a orange with that letter drops into a cart that is pulled by a dog. There is audio that repeats the letter. Unless your child doesn't know the alphabet, this exercise has little value and is basically boring. Sure she is figuring out the key board but they could have done this in a more interesting way.
The next game works by pressing a letter, a image, the first letter of the thing in the image and a audio prenouncation of the thing is provided by Leapfrog. For instance, press the letter C and a "C" appears with and image of a cat and announcation of CAT. Why they don't include the whole spelling of the word CAT is a wonder? Again, little real educational value.
There may be value in this game for getting your child comfortable with pressing keys and using a mouse but when this is accomplished, what next? Overall, with the amount of products Leapfrog has in the marketplace and the cost of this item, I expected a lot more. Based on the fact they don't provide batteries or a AC adaptor, Leapfrog must have incredible margins on this product. Clearly, they haven't innovated in years and they likely don't have any Phds in clildhood development advising on their product development or they'd have a better product. They may have more advanced levels but these require extra cartridges that cost a bundle. Leapfrog has engineered a franchise and are trying to extract as much cash from you as possible. My grip here is, think about the total cost of this product with buying 4 C sized batteries and 4 AA and extra cartrigdes....for some more, you can dramatically increase what you get.
We are returning and we are paying more to by a mini-notebook computer for a few hundred bucks - the does without harddrives and with solidstate flash memory. We're going to get a kid wireless keyboard and wireless mouse (one must exist). We're going to connect the mini-notebook to our flatscreen and we're going to lock down on PBSkids.com as a more expensive alternatively but ulimtately a much better experience for all. Our daughter isn't even 3 and she has figured out from hijacking our computers basic navigation. Rather than throwing our money away on a product that is cute but has limited value, we're going to invest a 4X more and get something that she can grow into and will play DVD's when we are on the go too.
Good luck everyone...
Customer Review: Good product, some bad design decisions
Summary: 3 Stars
Bought this for my 3 year old daughter. Pretty decent selection of licensed game characters, and once she figured them out, she has a ton of fun with it.
There are several very poor design decisions however. First, the mouse is HORRIBLE. It's connected to a very stiff, nearly inflexible rubber coated wire. The mouse itself weighs maybe half an ounce, so it's constantly moving around and changing orientation while it fights the stiff cable.
Take a look at the product pictures and you'll see it's just a bad design. My kid was frustrated by the mouse because it takes such a delicate hand to move it, and it's constantly flipping upside down and moving around because the cable is so stiff. I am tempted to strip away the rubber coating the cable just to give it more flexibility. I also removed the mouse "pad" that's connected to the keyboard because it's way too small for the range required in the games, and it's slick plastic surface makes moving the mouse accurately even more of a frustration.
Next, there's no power button on the keyboard. If you thought, what and why would they do that, that's exactly what I was thinking. No power button! I was flipping the device over and over again looking for a button, checking for keyboard shortcuts, etc... it's just not there. It's supposed to go into "sleep" mode after a few minutes of non-use, but mine never does. The only way to save your AA batteries is to physically remove them from the device, which of course requires a screw driver and means my kid can't play with the toy without a parent screwing around with it for a few minutes first.
Some of the games at first seemed pretty hard for my kid, but she picked up on them quickly. There are several click the picture before it disappears kind of puzzles, which due to the mouse issues listed above, can be difficult (and frustrating) at first. When I first brought the toy home my daughter was very frustrated with it. I waited a few months to bring it back out and now she plays with it all the time.
The addon games are okay. We own a couple of them and some are definitely better than others. Most of them only have a few different variations on the same game themes found in the original console. I don't think the add on carts are worth full price, so try to find them on sale.