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: Wonderful, durable, educational toy...
Summary: 5 Stars
My 3 1/2 year old son received this for Christmas this past year. As soon as it was taken out of the package it was played with (even by the adults) and has hardly been put down since.
I'll try to break this down for you guys:
Durability A+ - My son likes to carry it around the house by the string that holds the stylus or "pen" and has dropped it so many times. I keep showing him the proper way to carry it and then I see him again doing the same thing.
Design A+ - Not too large for little hands. It has a large screen that's very well lit (with other toys you have to run out an buy that extra light).
Educational Benefits A+ - My son has the cartridge that it comes with, Dora, Nemo and the Incredibles. I originally felt that the one that it came with may not have been the greatest, but it seems like that's the one that he keeps going back to. The Incredibles is recommended for 2nd graders (which I didn't notice when ordering it) but being that four months had already passed since the holidays and it was still sitting waiting for me to return/exchange it, I decided to give it to him and he's actually able to play one of the games.
I plan on buying three more cartridges for his birthday that have just come out since the purchase that are age appropriate for him. Each game has a difficulty setting prior to starting each activity so the game actually grows with your child. My son has begun setting the leap frog tape challenges to 3 now and is doing math during the activity which makes me very happy!
We purchased the carry case which is sold as an accessory ($17.99)which I suggest - it's a good investment. The case is a stiff foam that's moulded to the shape of the leapster and has little compartments to hold extra games.
We also have the power pack - it's great to have when we run out of batteries but if you have a 3 year old you know they don't like feeling restricted to sitting in one area for a long time. I plan on purchasing additional rechargeable batteries to save money over time. It has a reasonable play time with throw away batteries but rechargeables always help.
Well, enough said...I hope that helped you out and that your little one enjoys playing and learning with the leapster as much as my son does!
Customer Review: LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (had VSmile Pocket first and HATED it!!)
Summary: 5 Stars
We got the Vsmile pocket first for Christmas, and after 3 days and 5 sets of different types of batteries, I called their customer service. They said that it was NORMAL for it to only last 1.5 hours on a set of batteries, and that is why they offered adapters.
Well, since we bought this to be a TRAVEL system, not tied down to adapters, we promptly returned the VSmile Pocket and all the accessories to the store of purchase for a refund. (note: we do have the VSmile home system and have had no problems...)
The Leapster is GREAT! My 3 1/2 year old loves the age-appropriate games, and especially likes the ones that use the stylus pen. It comes with a cover to put over the screen after each use (which we make her do) so it doesn't get scratched. Yes, the screen is smaller, too, but the quality is so much better that she never noticed! The VSmile Pocket scratched terribly from normal use in just 3 days! Also, it is smaller and easier to handle and carry.
Batteries: We put in a newly charged set of Enegerzier NiMh rechargeable batteries when we got it. It lasted about 25-30 hours on ONE set of batteries over the course of several weeks! Now we're talking! So, I just popped my extra set of rechargeables in, and we're off to go. The battery cover is EASY to remove (can use a coin to turn it 1/4 turn, then it slides off), versus the VSmile Pocket that you had to have a screwdriver and unscrew 2 tiny long screws to get the cover off; it was terrible to do that every hour and half when we were in stores shopping!
This unit is actually even cheaper than the VSmile. Yes, games are a little more expensive by about five dollars, but you can catch them on sale periodically, and they seem to be much more educational as well as fun! They even go up to a higher grade level (ages 4-10) than the VSmile, which only goes up to age 8.
I wouldn't spend the money on the reghargeable battery pack that you can buy to go with this...just invest in some Energizer Nimh (not alkalines) rechargeables; they're relatively cheap and then you can have two sets and not have to wait for hours when the battery dies!
Hope this helps. I just don't want people to get suck with a VSmile by making the same mistake that we initally did! [...]!
Customer Review: Great Toy When You've Stocked Up on Batteries
Summary: 3 Stars
My daughter just received this great learning toy for her 3rd birthday. We bought the system ($69.00 eye popping dollars) and one game, (Disney's Princess $20.00; a bit more reasonable) and a four pack of batteries ($4.99). Let me just say that she absolutely loves this toy. It comes standard with four games/activities burned into its memory and there are an assorted 15 or so other game titles that can be purchased as well. Her favorite is the coloring activity that is included with it and she loves the anitmated characters. She lights up every time she hears the ghost go "ba ba ba boooooo!" The coloring feature and functionality of this segment is top rate. The other games are more fun for my 6 year old (basic math type things) but I can tell my daughter will really enjoy them when she's older. If... the toy makes it that long that is.
Her birthday was November 18. I am writing this review on the 22nd. In my math that was exactly 4 days ago and the Leapster is already asking for more batteries. The toy is never left on, and receives approximately 1-2 hours of play/day. At worst, it's been used for roughly 7 hours and now I've got to feed another $5.00 worth of Energizers into it. I'm telling you, it's worse than a gas guzzling SUV. At least with the SUV you get a week's worth of driving. At this rate, I figure I'll have to go through about $20.00 worth of batteries a month. Or, I can cater towards the Leapster conspiracy and just go buy the recharging kit. I'd almost feel better if they were honest with the consumer and sold the darned thing, including recharging kit for a cool $95.00. At least then I'd feel like I was getting my money's worth.
I'm also a little disappointed with the quality of the display. I'm not talking about the graphics here, it's just that the display seems very splotchy to me which carries though to the color if the contrast isn't adjusted just quite right. I think that tomorrow morning, I'll be taking Leapster back to Wally Mart for an exchange to see if this is common in all of them. However, based on the battery issue, if my daughter didn't love this thing so much, I'd most certainly leave it there.
Definitely a far from perfect toy.
Customer Review: How to solve problems - Quick list of favorite games.
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought my leapster last Christmas and my kids have loved it almost too much. It is constantly being played with. After so much use I wasn't surprised when it started to have a few gliches after 6-7 months of such heavy use, but I decided to call Leapfrog and see if there was anything I could do. He told me to take the cartridges and to dip a Qtip in achohol (I used a table knife covered with a rag dipped in rubbing achohol) and clean the inside of the cartridges, then put it in and out of the leapster. I cleaned my cartides and it has worked perfectly since. The collection of dust inside just needs to be cleaned out and then it worked like new again.
I have all the cartridges and my kids favorites are: First Grade and Kindergarten (These are just plain fun to all my kids from PreK to 5th grade - they like the arcade style and the race car driving that is rewards to learning.) My girl who loves drawing plays Mr. Pencil Drawing program a ton, and my Preschoolers favorite is the Disney princess because she is obsessed with Princesses, and of course the Letter Factory. She is starting to read in Preschool and I give total credit to the Letter Factory and Word factory games. We just got The Incredibles and Junie B cartidges and of those 2 of course The Incredibles is winning and is being played a ton (but what do you expect with the movie as cool as it is :) Mrs. Stretch does a Spelling game Dash does place value like if you have 2354, where does the 3 go, and the other 2 do 2 digit math and teach times tables. Then you are given key cards as you do the game. The family works cooperatively getting through the maze as you get more key cards. I really like the leapster, and my favorite thing is that I can say to my kids its your night with the leapster the sooner you get in bed the sooner you get to play, and they will climb in bed at 7:00 and play till 8:30-9 until I say lights out and make them turn it off. And they all keep track of whose night it is to play. I also love that my little girl is really getting good control of the pencil (hand eye cordination) and that she is just barely 4 and is already putting words together. I love it.
Customer Review: IF YOUR HAVING A HARD TIME CHOOSING PIXTER OR LEAPSTER....
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay I thought I was doing SO great. I found the color pixter in a store and bought it for my 6 and 5 year old. I bought all the color cartridges also. I thought I was done xmas shopping. Then yesterday at the store. What do I see but the Leapster. I almost felt ill. I didn't know what to do. So I went home and opened the pixter and put my batteries in and started to play. But let me tell you that toy is in that box so not even houdini himself could get it out unless he has a screwdriver. Yeap you need a screwdriver. ugh. First off the directions aren't that great. I was playing and trying to figure out the tool bar. Kinda hard. Then when I was trying to put clothes on Barbie they would land on her head and I would try to bring them down and the kept adding the same dress over and over onto the screen. I'm a smart women and I had a real hard time with this stuff. Then I was trying to do other things and theres NO education value at all to this. Expect if you like to doodle and draw. So off I went to buy leapster. I was thrilled I opened the box. NO SCREWS. It came right out. it turned on and its having me count, do my abc's learning money (spongebob cartridge) I thought I was going to have a hard time choosing. No way leapster is my gift to the kids. They will love it. There are more cartridges in color, like Dora and a baseball one and how to write. Leap frog explains everything you need to do. It has an AC adaptor if you want to buy one. You can put headphones in. The screen has adjustment. Pixter does not and its too light. Hard to see the object. Okay so if you hawing and hemming let my goof be your blessing! Its great. The only thing is that it says up to age 8. I really hope they make cartridges pass this age. Because I'm tired of buying leap baby, leap preschool, leap pad, leap pad plus writing. We need something to go with our child for a while. Please let it be this its so much more educational then a game boy! Thank you leapfrog you never disappoint. Back tommorow I go to return pixter and to find more leapster cartridges!!!!! Signed the leapster addict! j/k :) Merry shopping to ya all!