The older two children have a Nintendo DS so I thought the Leapster would be perfect for the 4 year old. It's recommended for 4 - 9 year olds but from first impressions I thought it would definitely be the lower end of the age range that would be most taken with it.
But I'm an adult. What would I know?
The minute the 8 year old spotted it she was in raptures. So instead of my obviously clueless opinion I'll hand you over to her. This is what she has to say about it...
Features:
The Leapster GS Explorer comes with:
- 2GB of memory, a camera and inbuilt video capabilities
- Motion-based play (as seen above with Splurgle)
- In-built microphone
- Stylus is attached to system (meaning no lost pens)
- Three extra apps from the online library of 300 is also included. (Apps range from approx. £4 - £25).
Other features:
- A large range of cartridge games are also available although we haven't had the chance to test any of those yet.
- There is also a strong focus on learning and education and parents can keep track of their budding genius' progress by connecting to the Leapfrog Learning Path to see where they are doing well and where they need more support.
- There are plenty of fun yet educational apps to choose from and there is also the ability to adjust the difficulty rating so that just as they think they have nailed everything there is to know about the flags and customs of Europe you can crank up the level and have them crying into their petit dejeuner. (Cue evil laughter).
We've only just started exploring all the capabilities of our Leapster GS but I am sure there is enough stuff to keep all three of them engaged for some time to come. Worth the price tag in my opinion.
Disclosure: LeapFrog sent me the Leapster GS for the purposes of this review. The console normally retails at £64.99 but is available from Amazon now at £49.97.
