LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System - Green
by LeapFrog
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Our Price: $88.88 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $17.49 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System - Green
Customer Review: great toy, but some of them have kinks
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband suggested buying the Leapster for my son's 4th birthday this May but I thought it was too expensive, the games too cheesy looking, and my son already had a gameboy sp. I was incredibly wrong. The Leapster is great for entertaining and educating young (and old) ones! We got the Leapster for $69.99 and it had a special sale to select a free game (we chose the Kindergarten one)! So we had the Leapster, the included Learning with Leap cartridge and the Kindergarten cartridge all for $75 after tax. Not bad! The games themselves are great, and not cheesy at all! My son has learned to spell words, recognize patterns and all kinds of stuff. The screen display is very clear and more high res than I thought. There are buttons to adjust screen brightness and volume control. There is rubber flap to protect the screen when not in use and when in use it folds over and locks in the back out of the way of game play. This toy has been well thought out ergonomically. The games start out really easy, almost too easy, but it gets hard enough (level 3) where the kid should still get interest out of it. It's also great cuz you get to watch and participate with your kid with this toy, unlike the gameboy where that's a one on one toy. My son prefers playing the Leapster rather than the gameboy actually.
Two things that sort of detract from this toy: 1. it eats batteries up. Four AA's last from two to three weeks depending on whether they're duracells or rayovac. I haven't tried the rechargeable battery pack yet though and that may be the best option. 2. It seems to be very fragile. My son doesn't tend to abuse his toys, but he is a 4 year old and things do happen to fall every now and then. My son had his Leapster for a month before the screen started failing to recognize when the stylus was touching on certain parts of the screen. Recalibration procedures didn't help. Customer service had me send it back at my expense and sent me another one, which I suspect was a refurbished one because it was sent in cushions without the original box. This "new" one worked for a week and all of a sudden the screen wouldn't recognize the stylus touching the screen at all, not even in the recal mode. Once again I called customer service and this time they sent me a brand new one, sealed in the box and paid for the shipping to send the old one back. It has been working perfectly ever since even with a few small falls every now and then. I read other reviews and it seems like a small batch had been released that were bad. But it appears that all is good now.
All in all, it is a great toy and extremely worth the money.
Customer Review: Let the buyer beware!! New Leapster is not the same as the original!!
Summary: 2 Stars
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.
Customer Review: Leaping for Joy over Leapster
Summary: 5 Stars
It seems redundant to offer yet another 5 star review on this fantastic toy, but my enthusiasm will not allow me to pass up the opportunity. Let me first tell you my credentials; I am a strict mother who allows NO video games, restricted computer time and very little TV into her house. I will, however, encourage my 4 and 6 year old boys to play this toy, and will even delight in toying with it myself after they go to bed! Ha! It is just that irresistable. My six year old, who has some difficulty with fine motor skills, has no problem operating the comfortable arrow key button. Unlike Gameboy, the leapster controls have a "chunky" feel that suits small hands well. The graphics are clear and precise - no eye strains here. The sound quality is impressive - much clearer than leap pad's monotone, muffled sound. Also, I am impressed by how responsive the pen and screen are. A gentle touch with the pen registers immediately on the screen, and this immediate and accurate response make playing enjoyable. The games are entertaining without being overstimulating. I personally find many of the gameboy games to be stressful, and I notice kids are tense when they play them. Leapster games are exciting and fun, but they are thoughtful. Kids are challenged to THINK and make good decisions, not just to race something over a finish line. My last "hurray" for this game is the versatility. One of the games on the cartridge that comes with it is a chicken matching game. (Much like the beloved children's game 'Memory'.) In the chicken game they can match colors, sounds, letters, and rhyming words. They can even choose the number of cards they want on the gameboard. It is several games in one. We also like the painting game, and the rabbit math game, which taught my son skip counting overnight! The versatility and number of choices make this a hands down winner. As someone who is interested in early childhood development I just can not support the idea of young kids playing endlessly with gameboys or other TV video games. The Leapster, however, is a successful compromise that can please kids and parents alike. (And, by the way, don't let the age range fool you. My ten year old daughter gets a kick out of playing it with her younger brothers!) I strongly recommend this toy and feel it is worth every cent, and for a strict mom on a limited budget that is quite a recommendation!Customer Review: Giggles with Delight til It Breaks (Have owned 3)
Summary: 5 Stars
Last month, I bought a Leapster. It was everything I was looking for in a toy (interactive, educational, entertaining). My 3.5 year old went crazy over it. I have never seen him so passionate about something before. He could control outcome. He was able to direct Dora (a character from one of the games) to jump into the lake by simply pushing some directional buttons. He could draw directly on to the screen using a stylus pen provided. He was even able to chose a variety of colors. He could touch the screen on some games to direct a desired outcome. This toy kept him giggling with delight and he was learning about his letters, numbers, cause and effect,as well as, learning to follow directions. It allowed me a moment of peace while he played and his two year old sister watched. He had desperately wanted a game boy, like his friends, but I have never seen any redeeming qualities in one until I saw the Leapster commercial. Anyway, after 3 weeks the touch screen stopped responding to touch and to the stylus pen around the edges and then the whole screen stopped responding to touch and to the stylus pen a week later. It was almost impossible to sign into the system since signing on only responded to touching the screen. I returned it. Got another one. Within an hour of play (sitting quietly on the couch and gently touching the screen) the screen stopped responding to touch. I called Leapfrog, they taught me several ways to reset it and nothing worked. The rep gave me a reference number so I could return it to Best Buy without a hassle. I was informed that these are often damaged during shipping and not due to 'bad batches.' Overall, customer service with Leap Frog was pleasant and quick. Unfortunately, Best Buy gave me a hassle and claimed my son had to be too hard on the toy after all there were finger prints all over the screen. I of course responded, it's a child's toy which requires them to touch the screen. They reluctantly replaced the one I had gotten from them 8 hours earlier. Pray this one lasts a lot longer... and not just until the warranty is up!!!! I have given it a low rating and would not recommend it to anyone until they improve the durability of the screen. The concept of the toy is excellent, the games, though few, are very engaging for kids. But the frustration and heartache you have to endure when it breaks with minimal use earns it the below average rating.
Customer Review: A GREAT Toy for Long Car Rides, Rainy Days, or Anytime!
Summary: 5 Stars
I cannot recommend this product enough!
My daughter has had this system for about two years now. She has several cartridges and still plays with it frequently. It is our favorite toy for long car rides, because...
* You can use HEADPHONES with it! (All the Moms say, "Yes!") BTW, this is true for all the LeapFrog products I have found so far!
* It doesn't have a bunch of loose parts (the pen is well-attached, and extra cartidges can be kept in the carrying case, if you get one -- which I recommend).
* They can play with it for hours and not mind that they're learning things!
* Far better than an X-Box or other "violent-video-game" system -- ALL the games are "G-rated" AND educational.
* Both boys and girls can play AND enjoy these games.
All LeapFrog products (Leapster, LeapPad, etc.) are VERY well-rated for age and educational level. Be sure to pay attention to the age recommendations, and don't waste your time or frustrate you child by pushing them too far ahead with this system. I do NOT recommend it for very slow 4-year-olds or younger children, NOR do I recommend it for very young children who do not understand how to treat expensive toys with SOME respect (although ours has withstood quite a bit of abuse from both child AND her klutzy Mom <g>!). Contrary to appearances, the optional carrying case is good for keeping the game from damage, as well as keeping the games together.
The "L-Max" system costs a little more, but has some features you might be interested in. If you opt NOT to get it, rest assured that the "L-Max" games ARE supposed to work with the regular "Leapster" system, minus a couple of abilities that the TV-compatible L-Max System uses, and that your child supposedly won't notice.
If you can afford it, I recommend the optional recharging unit, as rechargable batteries don't tend to last long in the Leapster (they lose their charge if left standing, even when a device is off). If you go with store-bought batteries, the ones for electronic devices are worth the extra cost, as they really DO last longer (Energizer "e" batteries seem to last the longest for us.) If you go with batteries, be sure to keep an extra set on hand for those "Hey!-I-was-in-the-middle-of-a-game!" moments!