LeapFrog Leapster 2 Learning Game System Green
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. |
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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 many 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 |
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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 much of what the Leapster 2 has to offer — which is a drawback, because it must be purchased separately. Without the SD card, which offers more memory, you cannot save artwork, download new games, or take advantage of the online “Learning Path,” which will be available August 2008. (This online program allows you to register and upload your children’s Leapster 2 profiles to show you their learning activities and their progress.)
In the meantime, without the SD card, you can still purchase game cartridges. 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
User Ratings and Reviews
2 Stars Great stand alone game machine, but crappy otherwise
My son has fun with the cartridges sold at the retail store, but the sync on PC and SD card matching is very unstable. The software and website for your account is not so intuitive either. I basically gave up on any feature that requires the SD card or Sync to PC.
I would recommend Leapfrog to include a SD card that works, since it seems that all the SD cards I own make it hang/crash. (And I’m using ones that are less than 256MB as instructed…..)
3 Stars Video Game Lite
The Leapster2 is a nice alternative to those who do not want to purchase a real video game system. It’s look and feel is close enough to a Nintendo DS so that pre-K and early elementary school users will feel like they are interacting with a big kid toy. A child who has access to a DS, Game Cube, or Wii will likely be bored.
The games are fairly simplistic. Skills include identifying numbers, identifying letters, and finding the next step in a sequence. While games have a number of levels, children are neither rewarded nor penalized for their answers. The educational questions are embedded in other activities; therefore, children may ignore the questions and still have a satisfying gaming experience. This negates the value of the parental website which purports to measure the child’s success. Without watching the child’s interaction, it is impossible to know whether s/he is trying to answer correctly or engaging in alternative play. The parent’s web site is most valuable for its feedback on the amount of hours played over the number of sessions per week. This is not an alternative to tutoring for a struggling academic.
Games cost between $25 and $30 a piece, which is not an insignificant investment. The instruction manual encourages parents to purchase an SD card to store games downloaded from the web site. However, according to LeapFrog’s customer service representative, there are only two games available for download (both free) and no plans to add more. Given this scenario, the SD card is an unnecessary investment.
LeapFrog has created an acceptable, entry-level gaming system for the youngest audiences. Future versions would be improved by the ability to play music, download additional games, save and share art projects, and a more sophisticated educational approach. Before purchasing the system, parents should consider their goals and the amount of money that they will deem an acceptable investment to achieve them.
5 Stars Daughter LOVES this….
Mya daughter is 5, and she loves this! My son is also 2 and he enjoys stealing this from “sissy” so he can color. I think it’s educational. It provides me with a little quiet time in the evening… Looking fwd to buying more games.
5 Stars Great New Leapster!
My son had two of the old leapsters and they kept shutting down so I bought this one hoping that that would do the trick. It did and is much better. He loves it! He is 4.
4 Stars My kids like it
It is a nice gift for my son, who just turned to four. He likes it very much.
Buy/More Info
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