Thursday, December 15, 2011

LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green


Customer Rating :
Rating: 3.8

List Price : $69.99 Price : $33.00
LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green

Product Description

With this smart handheld system, children learn valuable school skills through a variety of animated games and activities. Kids use the interactive touch screen and stylus throughout 30 educational games featuring characters they love. The Leapster2 System also offers several options for creative play. Little learners can easily connect online for extra activities and rewards. And best of all, parents can use the Leapster2 to connect to the LeapFrog Learning Path, an online, interactive tool in which parents can get updates and see firsthand what their children are learning.

Leapster2 System comes with built-in starter games; additional software sold separately. Requires 4 "AA" batteries, not included. Measures 13"W x 10.5"H.

Amazon.com Review

Put innovative creativity and fun at your kids' fingertips -- and watch them learn in the process -- with the The LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System. This battery-operated handheld game system goes where your children go, and brings plenty of learning fun along. It comes with two pre-installed educational games, and many more are available: purchase an optional SD card separately for access to additional online games and to take advantage of other online features; or you can purchase game cartridges to add to your Leapster 2 repository. The included games have skill levels suitable for children ages 4 to 8.



Children will love playing the educational games. View larger.


Insert different game cartridges (sold separately) for endless fun. View larger.
What We Think

Fun Factor:

Durability:

(what this means)

The Good: Battery-powered console goes where your child goes, offers versatile, educational fun.

The Bad: An SD card, which must be purchased separately, is required to take advantage of some Leapster 2 features.

In a Nutshell: Handheld game console offers fun, educational games that accommodate your child's learning curve.
At a Glance

Ages: 4 to 8
Requires: Four AA batteries
The console has a comfortable, curved shape, although it may be a tad large and heavy for smaller hands. It features a full-color touch screen and sound that's a far cry better than the beeps of old-school handheld consoles. (Parents will appreciate the volume control and a jack for headphones!) Control and manipulate the console with the included stylus and with the videogame-style D pad and other buttons.

We found the initial set-up to be relatively easy: install the four required AA batteries, and navigate through the self-explanatory screens to create user profiles for up to 3 children (which come in handy for accessing online features). After this quick set-up, a menu screen will appear, where you can choose to play the pre-loaded games, go online, or insert a game cartridge.

Fun and Learning
Leapster 2 games are designed to grow with your child ages 4 through 8. The console is pre-loaded with two games: The "Dragons to the Rescue! Learning Game," is a "video game" type activity with four different levels, the first helping kids identify letters and numbers, the most advanced giving them spelling and multiplication practice, all while navigating a dragon past monstrous storm clouds and scrambling to collect magic crystals. The "Creativity Castle Art Studio" is a rather low-tech art program. Players can select a background scene to "color" using the stylus and "decorate" with fun animated stamps. While it does foster creativity, this program is somewhat clumsy -- your Paint program on your PC does a much better job. But "Dragons" was fun enough to keep even an adult tester enjoyably diverted.

Unfortunately, an SD card is required for taking advantage of some of what the Leapster 2 has to offer -- which is a drawback, because it must be purchased separately. For example, without the SD card (which offers more memory) you cannot save artwork.

In the meantime, without the SD card, you can still purchase game cartridges, as well as download new games, or take advantage of the online "Learning Path". (This online program allows you to register and upload your children's Leapster 2 profiles to show you their learning activities and their progress.)  And you still can plug your console -- with the included USB cable -- into your PC for your children to view and print "rewards" for completing different game levels (for Dragons to the Rescue, they're certificates of achievement) or to print pictures to color with actual crayons (to encourage some "old-fashioned" creativity!) You must first install the Leapster 2 software on your computer, which comes on the included CD-ROM.

What's in the Box
Leapster 2 Game System, USB cable, CD-ROM

PC Requirements

All Leapster games work with all Leapster systems.
PC Requirements

Windows XP or Windows Vista operating system
Pentium III 500 MHz processor
Monitor resolution of at least 1024 X 768
Available USB port
256 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended)
300 MB free disk space
Internet connection
Microsoft Internet Explorer version 6 or higher
CD reader

Mac Requirements


Mac OS X 10.4+
PPC G4 or any Intel-based Apple computer
Monitor resolution of at least 1024 X 768
Available USB port
256 MB of RAM (512 MB recommended)
300 MB free disk space
Internet connection
Safari application
CD reader


  • The preschool gaming handheld that connects to the LeapFrog® Learning Path, an online experience that lets you see what your child is learning.
  • Play and learn school skills on the go or connect online for extra activities and rewards.
  • Library of over 30 exciting learning games featuring characters kids love.
  • Included and additional games teach skills in a range of subjects, such as language arts, reading, mathematics and science.
  • Parents can connect online to the LeapFrog® Learning Path to see what their child is learning. Kids connect online for extra activities and rewards.


LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green Reviews


LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green Reviews


Amazon.com
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
353 Reviews
5 star:
 (168)
4 star:
 (67)
3 star:
 (37)
2 star:
 (28)
1 star:
 (53)
 
 
 

774 of 797 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice product, poor deployment!, August 22, 2008
By 
Michael D. Adams (Jeffersonville, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 
Amazon Verified Purchase( What's this?)
This review is from: LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green (Toy)
** Note: When reading this review, please understand that we were an "early adopter" of the Leapster2 Game System, and certain issues impacted our opinion. By now (06/10) Leapster has likely dealt with some of the intitial issues and difficulties we experienced, and those may no-longer be a concern for new buyers. The price has dropped considerably, which does increase the attractiveness of the system.

Without a doubt, the Leapster2 is a nice, stylish game system that is age-appropriate for young children. It is easy to handle and, for the most part, easy to use. The games available include many popular titles (Cars, Backyardigans, Disney Princesses, Dora, Thomas, etc.).

But that's where the fun stops. The difference between the Leapster2 and the original Leapster is that the Leapster2 was designed to work with the "LeapFrog Learning Path" program, which allows you to see the progress your child has made in learning various subjects and concepts. That was... Read more
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217 of 234 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than ever!, July 7, 2008
= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 
Amazon Verified Purchase( What's this?)
This review is from: LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green (Toy)
We owned a Leapter L-Max that quit working due to an "accident." Because our 3 year old has loved and used that machine several times a day we had to replace it. He had learned so much from the previous Leapster and the reviews of the V-Smile were poor, so we decided to go with another Leapster. While we did go back and forth about whether we wanted another L-Max for the TV play capability or whether we wanted the online funcitonality of this new Leapster 2. We had to put some thought into which feature, the TV or online, we would use most. We decided that we would really like the ability to track learning progress on line and that for $10 less, we would rather have that function. We also decided to look for a Leapster TV system, which we found on clearance, to replace the TV play capability of the old L-Max, so he could still use all the games on the TV and yet have 2 seperate toys and develop the motor skills of the 2 systems instead of one. This new Leapster is SO cute. The... Read more
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146 of 167 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Already in Storage, October 18, 2008
= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 
This review is from: LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System - Green (Toy)
I bought this for my 4 year old son a week ago and so far we are really disappointed. I did a lot of research and chose the leapster 2 for my youngest son. I should let you know that my family is very electronic oriented. Both my children have been playing games for several years on the internet and both have had leapster type reading books as well as some simple hand held games. WE also own a Wii that both kids absolutely love. here is my rundown of the good and the bad:

the bad:
* upon turning on the device we are greeted with a Siezure warning. We have to sit through this every single time we open it up. Grrrrr.
* the preinstalled games are fun and exciting - for about 5 minutes. My son actually gave me the device to play with after he got bored with the games. This was upsetting since I really wanted him to enjoy the machine. The story line to the games are not very engaging and some games are too difficult technically. I actually played the... Read more
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