Editorial Review

Designed for children in preschool through second grade, and easily portable, the Leapster multimedia learning system offers educational games, reading exercises, art tools, and interactive videos in one electronic device. Atop an ergonomic silver body sits a 4-inch, 12-bit color backlit display protected by a blue rubber shield. Slide a Leapster cartridge into the slot, and learn letters, sounds, colors, shapes, numbers, and more, using the touch-screen stylus and multi-directional control pad. This unit comes with a bonus cartridge of six learning games; other Leapster cartridges are sold separately. Control knobs let you adjust volume and brightness; there's also a stereo headphone jack. Required are four AA batteries, not included. --Andy Boynton ... Read more

Reviews (293)

Best $$ ever spent-just bought 2nd
I wouldn't be able to praise this toy enough. We gave it to our oldest daughter last Christmas when she was 3 1/2. We were concerned because of the price but compared to a GameBoy we prefered the educational aspect. We have never regreted the purchase. She loves playing with it and has even mastered basic math skills well ahead of time. We had a problem with the screen not responding after about 6 months but it only took a quick email to Leap Frog and they replaced it with our only expense being a few dollars to ship it to them. They have excellent Customer Service. We would have even invested the money to buy a new unit if they hadn't replaced it. <br /> <br /> We have just purchased a unit for our 19 month old daughter because she always wants to share big sister's. I know the age is 4-10 but our little one just loves the characters and even though she doesn't totally understand what to do, she still loves playing. It has helped her to master control of the stylus and she is now much better at coloring too. We have a few extra cartridges and plan on expanding for Christmas. <br /> <br /> We haven't had a problem with battery consumption. This toy definitely hasn't eaten batteries nearly as quickly as others and my older daughter plays with it almost every day. She would play with it more if I would allow it. But we still plan on buying the recharging system too.<br /> <br /> I highly recommend the investment in the carrying case also.<br /> <br /> You just can't go wrong with this toy.

my grandson
I purchased the LeapFrog Leapster for my grandson as a Christmas gift when he was 2 years old. His mom gave it to him when we was 21/2, he absolutely loves it and has learned so much. I like the durability, educational theme and the add ons, it just keeps getting better and better.

Love It
My son was given this on his 4th b-day, he absolutely loves it and so do I! It has taught him alot and the only reason I rated a 4 and not a 5 is because of the battery situation!! Ouch!

Battery Eater!
My son got this toy for his 4th birtday. He truly loves it, but it's a battery eater! I cannot believe how quickly this toy drains 4 AA batteries. Thank goodness they are coming out with a recharging unit soon or we'd go broke!

BEST $ EVER SPENT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've never written a review before, but feel I have to about this product. It is the BEST money spent on my daughter ever!!!! My daughter got this for Christmas when she was 3 1/2 years old. She has played with it every day. At night we read books to her and then let her do her Leapster for a little while. We just purchased The Letter Factory for our last trip....and she already knows ALL the letter phonics....it is just amazing!!!!! We have never had a problem with it in 7 months...and we just put new batteries in it for the first time. I so highly reccomend this toy!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (17)

My son loves this toy!
My son received this toy for his 3rd birthday and he loves it! He carried it around with him all day and even brought it to bed with him that night. The songs are great but I do wish they sang the words to the popular kids songs. Although I don't find it especially educational, it's a great toy for a child who loves to listen and sing along to music.

Great fun for the next American Idol
Great fun for the little entertainer. I would recommend removing the microphone (long cord) if your child is under 3 years old.

It's ok
I thought this would be a cool toy but my kids don't seem to think so. It has been sitting in the toy room ever since we got it and very rarely is it touched. We don't even recognize most of the song on there. NOT a must have

We really like it.
My son is nowhere near the recommended age for this toy, but at 15 months he loves it anyway. I got it because it was on sale and set it on his toy shelf. He points to it and demands me to bring it to him. I take off the mic because the cord is a choking hazard. Other than that, the toy seems safe for him to play with. He loves pushing the buttons. He also likes watching the lights. I personally think this toy is more appropriate for a toddler than a four-year-old because I imagine a four-year-old would have moved on to toys like Leapster.

My gripe is that there are no lyrics to the songs that are played. They are very simple songs, like Pop Goes The Weasel, but I find myself going "All the cobbler's bench. A hum huma humahummm." because I can't quite remember the words. Also some of the songs are Leapfrog songs, for example "Upper case letter are big and tall" or something like that.

Basically, though the songs are cute. One that is in my head right now goes "Manny manny moo. Moo moo. Zanny zanny zoo. Zoo zoo." Simple, cute song.

3 year old loves it
Picked this up for my son's 3rd birthday. He has it in bed with him right now. Hasn't even needed the microphone for it yet (didn't want to worry about him strangling himself with cord in bed at this point). There are enough songs that he has only scratched the surface. He likes the animations (little red dots of light). Reinforces counting and the alphabet, introduces phonics songs. As he gets older, introducing the microphone and the singalong songs (Oh Susannah, I've been working on the railroad) will make the toy seem new again. Very happy with my choice based on the reviews ... Read more

Reviews (45)

Wonderful Learning Tool
My daughter got the Quantum Pad for her 7th birthday and just loves it. I think if a child is a good reader all the books are good... even the math is inspiring her to move forward with it although she isn't at those levels yet. She spends 3 - 4 more hours a week on the Quantum than on the TV or her Game Boy but more time on the internet than all of them. It's a great addition to learning.

I use it too!
This is a great educational toy! I can now tell you every county name and capital, just by looking at a blank map! My son is only 19 months so he is too young, but I will be teaching him soon!

A Teacher's Dream
I have been a fifth grade teacher for 5 years and I bought this "laptop" for my neice as she calls it. I cannot imagine how any parent would buy a GameBoy instead of something like this. For about $60, I got the Quantum Pad which comes with a book and the 4th grade history book.

The book that comes with the Quantum Pad is amazing. My neice is a very bright 8 year old. She immediately became fascinated by the presidential pages. The multiplication pages are a must have for any kid who struggles with math.

I also purchased My Very First LeapPad book for my son. He is 3 and after a few minutes was able to identify all of the "GO" circles on the pages. After a few days with the book, he is primarily fascinated with a making the volume go up and down, and a few pictures, but I am sure he will catch on.

I strongly encourage parents to buy this very valuable teaching tool. It can be used as a resource book for information, a game book for entertainment, and a review of skills already taught.

Definitely worth 5 stars in all areas.

Buy it! Buy it!!!!!!
This toy is SO fun!! I mean I'm not the smartest kid and this helped me way more than I needed it!!! Now in school I'm in the middle of a division math prob, and the forth grade math is really helping me out!!! Well thats all i can say, btu I bet I'll write a reivew about other Quantum Pad accessories!!!!!!!!!

Great for 2nd-5th graders
My son received the Quantum pad in December 2003. He is homeschooled and uses as reinforcement of what he's already learning. It is also great for traveling.
The Quantum pad is easy to use and my only gripe is that there aren't enough books for it.
It would be great to see more chapter books that are geared to kids with lower reading ability/high comprehension. Something like the Series of Unfortunate Events or Michigan Thrillers.
The only Quantum book I was disappointed with was the 3rd grade math book. The write in activities were annoying and not as much fun as the other material in the book.

My sons favorite Quantum books are: 4th grade science, the Inside Scoop (harry potter on the cover) and The Magic Treehouse: The Knight at Dawn. He also loves the 5th grade History page in the sample book.

We are looking forward to trying: The Human Body, Smart Guide to 5th Grade, Treasure Island,and 4th Grade History. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The iQuest handheld provides a customized learning experience that revolutionizes the way students study for tests and quizzes--by making the process fun, fast, and effective. iQuest is the hip handheld that prepares students for tests in math, science, and social studies with study questions based on their textbooks. Small enough to fit in the front of a backpack, the iQuest also keeps students organized with a scheduler, address book, dictionary, and calculator. Use the Mind Station connector (sold separately) to download textbook chapter outlines and audio quiz questions onto a cartridge. Then insert that cartridge into the iQuest to learn chapter materials through two game modes: Pop Quiz, the fun beat-the-clock mode, and Chapter Challenge, a thorough review of textbook material. iQuest comes with instructions, a 4 MB reusable cartridge with 1,000 questions, and a snap-on cover/faceplate. Four AA batteries are required but not included. ... Read more

Reviews (58)

THE COOLEST STRUDY GUIDE THERE IS AND WILL EVER BE!!!
The Iquest Handheld and the new edition are the coolest things ever made!!! I got the older edition when I was is 6th grade. Im now in 8th. I LOVED IT! Now with the new edition its not as big and bulky and it has a cool look that you can personalize with nameplates! <br /> The Iquest gave me a reason to study and I didnt have to read all those long tedious chapters I once did.<br /> PARENTS THE IQUEST IS GREAT AND WORTH ALL THE MONEY! I GUARENTEE THAT IF YOUR CHILD DOESNT LIKE TO STUDY, HE/SHE WILL AFTER JUST LOOKING AT THE IQUEST! ITS A GREAT X-MAS PRESENT TOO!

Great for Middle Schoolers
My kids and their love the iquest. They can sit for hours learning and having fun. We tried it with the online downloads atfirst. My son's were available while he was in middle school and that worked really well. I found that I had to disable all the other palm pilots and devices for the downloads to work but then it went real easy. If you are going to download the materials I would definitly suggest buying the bigger cartridge and if you have more than one child using it I would get one cartridge for each child. My daughter has different textbooks than my son did and they weren't available so we substituted other books from the website list and she studied from them, it worked pretty well but was more work. We still use the iquest but we buy the cartridges instead of downloading. I am amazed at how much it still gets used! My daughter has her address book filled in with all her friends' phone numbers and she uses the dictionary quite a bit as well.

iQuest
I think this is a wonderful learning toy. It is very easy to use. One of the features the iQuest has is a built in Marriam-Webster 75,000 word dictoinary. My favorite thing to do on the iQuest is the chapter challenge. The iQuest comes with a cartrige for the levels 5-8 grades. You can pick which level you want after you select the game you would like. I also find the iQuest to be very convenient because there is a calender and a schedule were you can put the time in and what you need to do, there is an address book, and any time you need to look up someting in the dictionary, you can just type the word in and you can adjust the volume to 0 to 100. Additional features are pop quiz, notepad options and setup, and calculater. I think this would also be helfull to adults. I really enjoyed this toy, and I think you will to. I rated this item 5 stars for durablity because I think this toy will last a long time if you take care of it. The iQuest takes 4 AA batteries.

Absolutely wonderful!
I got one of these for my son last year, and it has been an amazing tool for him both to study with, and to look up words with. It doesn't completely replace a good dictionary but it's very portable and easy for him to use. The only problem I've had with it is that my 8 year old is more interested in her big brother's iQuest then in his gameboy, and tends to bother him incessantly when studying! I guess I need to get her one of her own. Great product.
I also find it incredibly amusing that the bad review I read about it used the word knot instead of not.

the greatest toy ever
I got this for an early christmas present and I loved it. I improved a lot in math,science, and social studies. I reccomend this toy for anyone who needs inprovement in school or whoever likes to learn. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very educational but not very fun....
This toy has the look and feel of a real laptop. It is purely educational and not very fun at all. It claims to have 120 games but there are several of the same games which are seen 4 or 5 times each but in different catergories. Ours was purchased for our kindergarten son on his sixth birthday so most of the activities are much too advanced for him. His eight year old friend picked it up and became bored and put it down within 5 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (58)

THE COOLEST STRUDY GUIDE THERE IS AND WILL EVER BE!!!
The Iquest Handheld and the new edition are the coolest things ever made!!! I got the older edition when I was is 6th grade. Im now in 8th. I LOVED IT! Now with the new edition its not as big and bulky and it has a cool look that you can personalize with nameplates! <br /> The Iquest gave me a reason to study and I didnt have to read all those long tedious chapters I once did.<br /> PARENTS THE IQUEST IS GREAT AND WORTH ALL THE MONEY! I GUARENTEE THAT IF YOUR CHILD DOESNT LIKE TO STUDY, HE/SHE WILL AFTER JUST LOOKING AT THE IQUEST! ITS A GREAT X-MAS PRESENT TOO!

Great for Middle Schoolers
My kids and their love the iquest. They can sit for hours learning and having fun. We tried it with the online downloads atfirst. My son's were available while he was in middle school and that worked really well. I found that I had to disable all the other palm pilots and devices for the downloads to work but then it went real easy. If you are going to download the materials I would definitly suggest buying the bigger cartridge and if you have more than one child using it I would get one cartridge for each child. My daughter has different textbooks than my son did and they weren't available so we substituted other books from the website list and she studied from them, it worked pretty well but was more work. We still use the iquest but we buy the cartridges instead of downloading. I am amazed at how much it still gets used! My daughter has her address book filled in with all her friends' phone numbers and she uses the dictionary quite a bit as well.

iQuest
I think this is a wonderful learning toy. It is very easy to use. One of the features the iQuest has is a built in Marriam-Webster 75,000 word dictoinary. My favorite thing to do on the iQuest is the chapter challenge. The iQuest comes with a cartrige for the levels 5-8 grades. You can pick which level you want after you select the game you would like. I also find the iQuest to be very convenient because there is a calender and a schedule were you can put the time in and what you need to do, there is an address book, and any time you need to look up someting in the dictionary, you can just type the word in and you can adjust the volume to 0 to 100. Additional features are pop quiz, notepad options and setup, and calculater. I think this would also be helfull to adults. I really enjoyed this toy, and I think you will to. I rated this item 5 stars for durablity because I think this toy will last a long time if you take care of it. The iQuest takes 4 AA batteries.

Absolutely wonderful!
I got one of these for my son last year, and it has been an amazing tool for him both to study with, and to look up words with. It doesn't completely replace a good dictionary but it's very portable and easy for him to use. The only problem I've had with it is that my 8 year old is more interested in her big brother's iQuest then in his gameboy, and tends to bother him incessantly when studying! I guess I need to get her one of her own. Great product.
I also find it incredibly amusing that the bad review I read about it used the word knot instead of not.

the greatest toy ever
I got this for an early christmas present and I loved it. I improved a lot in math,science, and social studies. I reccomend this toy for anyone who needs inprovement in school or whoever likes to learn. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Wants educational toys
My 5 year old daughter received this for Christmas last year and LOVES it. She takes it in the car on trips or anywhere else we go. She will sit in her room for hours playing on her "computer. I love the fact that it has taught her the basics to start kindergarten this fall. But I have noticed that it has a place that you can add discs to it, but I can't seem to find out what kind of discs go to it. Overall, I would recommend this.

Should be seriously updated with today's technology!
This computer was not durable at all. My 5 year old(was 4 at the time) got it for Christmas, had it for about 2 months before breaking it, and trust me she is not hard on stuff. The mouse worked sporadically and like a real mouse (i.e. it gets dirty very easily). The LCD Screen is very very hard to see, and the volume/sound is of poor quality.. my little sisters had better Vu-Tech computers for kids 10 years ago!!! I expected a lot more from this. We ended up just throwing ours away! I would also not recommend this for younger children (toddlers/3 years old), it's somewhat too advanced for them.

I will probably find another computer/laptop for her, but until I see one I really like, I'm just sticking on Leap Pad books and Hooked on Phonics for now! :) Hope this helped!

barbie think pink is bad
This looks like a real computer but it stinks. the mouse doesnt work , either does the directional cursors. Even if you follow the instructions word for word it still doesn't work. I only had it for maybe a 1/2 hour and my mother said she would return it. Not worth the price at all.

Mind challenging
I purchased the b-book with only 50 activities. The 60 activity version came out the next month. My 5 year old received this for her birthday. While most of the activities are still a little advanced. The initial ones in each catergory, provided challenging questions for her. She calls it her "Kindegarten laptop". I am glad that it a toy where she can continue learning, not just Kindergarten level items. It's probably better suited for a 5-1/2 yr old and up. I also have a Leap Pad and she plays both with equal challenges. I wish I had waited for the 60 activity version. It included Spanish!

The Barbie B-Book Laptop Is AMAZING (5 stars)
The Barbie Think Pink B-Book Learning Laptop is amazing. My 5-year old sister got it for Christmas and she loves it. She plays with it almost everyday and she really enjoys it. this is the first toy that she enjoys this much.
It has 43 eduactional games divided into 8 useful catetgories. it also has 4 games and 10 spanish games. The eduactional games are deived into the categories of Vocabulary(5 games), Logic(5 games), Music(5 games), Spelling(5), Math(9), Grammar(4), Memory(6), and Keyboarding Skills(4). the ;aptoppp also has 3 tools. The tools are a calculator, a screen saver, and a Animation Center. The laptop also comes with batteries and comes with a mouse and mouse pad. ...If you have a 5-7 year old in the family, this is a great, fun, and educational gift. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Great for learning preschoolers!
All I must say is that these letters are soooo durable. The back of the letters are all magnetic where as the plastic ones only have a little piece of magnet to hold them to the refrigerator, so everytime the fridge closes one always seems to fall off, but NOT these they hold on and I really like that. The colors are very bright and they have helped my 2 year old learn her colors. I only wish they made more differnt colors than just 4. Another thing I love is that these come in upper case and lower case so you have more letters to make into words. They do cost more than the other ones but well worth it.

Every kid should have these
My kids have both kinds of magnets, these and the plastic letters with the little magnets in them. They love to play with all of them, but they get frustrated when the plastic ones just slide down the fridge, or when the magnets fall off. The plastic ones end up under the fridge; their thicker profile and poor magnets are a bad combination. This kind is MUCH better; they're lightweight and completely covered with magnetic material on the back. They don't fall apart and they stay put! Less frustration for the kids, less hassle for me: It's all good!

The best set of ABC magnets out there!
Like a lot of people, I grew up with those plastic alphabet letters on my fridge. So when my son was around 2 years old, I figured it was about time to get a set for our home. We were fortunate enough to get this set as a gift. I was truly impressed! This set is by far superior to any others I've seen on the market. They're large and colorful, and the entire back of the letter is a magnet. Not just one little square. They really stay put on the fridge! I also like that they're wood. Sure, bite marks would probably show up more on the wood than on plastic. But overall, I think the wood is far more sturdy and durable. All the letters come in a nice wood box with a sliding clear lid, making it easy to keep everything together. You really couldn't ask for more!

not pleased
My son got these when he was about 2. Right out of the box, some letters were de-magnatized. He enjoyed playing with them on the fridge for a while, but some of the affected letters were in his name - the first things kids usually spell. He has learned some of his letters, but I wish we had the old fashioned plastic letters.

CAN'T CLEAN THESE LETTERS IN WATER
The letters are large, the whole backside is magnetic, they are made of two pieces of wood stuck together. One piece is magnetic while the other has a piece of shiny paper stuck on it. Unfortunately, you can't wash them because the paper slowly detaches from the wood and they end up looking very ugly. I decided to remove the paper, and remained with the brown wood. If they were washable they would have been the best letters out there. My kid prefers the plastic letters because we get to clean them when they are dirty and still look attractive.
I am buying another set of letters and it won't be these ones. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This LeapPad book and cartridge brings to life the heroic adventures of The Incredibles. An interactive reading experience that allows second-grade readers to practice reading comprehension, spelling, vocabulary, synonyms and antonyms, and compound words, all to a musical accompaniment, The Incredibles (the booklet) fits into most LeapPad portable units. Youngsters use the "magic pen" to point to words and pictures to make them come to life, or to initiate games and activities. Kids will have so much fun, they won’t even realize they’re learning a thing or two! --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Reviews (1)

dont buy this laptop!!!!
This toy is a waist of money, dont bother with it. When I seen it I walked away. It dont play games, and it is Not a colored screen. This toy is miss leading & this biggest waist of money!!!!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

This talking book comes with an interactive "magic pen" that works like a hand-held computer mouse pointer. Children can opt to turn the paper pages and listen to the story read with different voices for each character. Or they can interrupt the read-aloud session to play with the magic pen (permanently attached with a wire). They can point the pen tip to any word on a page and hear it pronounced, or touch a picture and hear a sound effect (such as "Strike one!" for the baseball bat). Very similar to the popular Living Books computer games, this 10-by-11-inch book is more portable than a home computer. Stories in this set include Lil's Loose Tooth, Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever, and Winnie the Pooh in A Sweet Good Morning. The set also includes a paper piano keyboard and map and human anatomy games.--Gail Hudson ... Read more

Reviews (365)

Not as great as we thought it'd be...
I got this for my son when he was about 4, and it was a great learning tool before it started falling apart. The quality of it was terrible, and it didn't last more than a year after normal wear and tear. This product was definitely a disappointment, especially after spending a lot of money on books and cartridges shortly before it bit the dust.

fun for all ages
I bought a leap frog for my son when he was 4 and he loved it. He liked the pictures and sounds. It is also great for older kids, the leap frog book that came with his had activities for all ages. It is very educational and a great item to take on trips in the car.

great for my preschooler as well as older childern
I purchased a leappad for my 3 1/2 year old about a 1 1/2 years ago for christmas and it was a hit!! She loved the noises it made and she could write with the pen. The book that comes with the system is broken up into different age groups so the first book didn't have much she could do as for learning, but my older children (then 9 & 11) found a few pages that interested them as well. We soon purchased a couple of addition books that were age appropriate for my daughter and she began to learn numbers, letters and shapes. My sons even got a book to help them in the areas such as bones. My daughter turned 5 yesterday and she still carries her leappad where ever we go. She has moved up to learning sounds and sight words and hasn't even started kindergarden yet. She loves the games and the interaction since it will tell you (or beep/buzz you)when you have made a wrong answer. This product allows my husband & I, as well as other family members, to sit down and spend time with my daughter learning and ITS FUN for us all!! She can even entertain herself when we are unable to sit with her because of how user friendly it is.

We have had NO problems with our leappad and believe me it has been around and used.

I highly recommend it for a child that is eager to learn new things. If I had to find a fault with it, it would be that due to so many different books available, we sometimes misplace the cartridges. I have ordered her a backpack to keep them all together to solve this problem.

Beware Of Leap Frog Products
We are a family of 5. Our 3 children are 6, 3 1/2, and 2. You can imagine how many wonderful Leap Frog products we have in our household. We have a lot. We want to provide our children with a great educational start in life and what better way to do it than with these wonderful Leap Pad products right? Give me a break. Educationally they are great. Durable you ask, no way. Leap Frog only warrants their products for 3 months. We had 2 LeapPads. One still works great, we've had it for almost 4 years. The newer one we bought for our 3 year old stopped working in 4 months. It wasn't product misuse, because my son was only allowed to look at it with an adult. We only used it about 3 or 4 times a month, that's about 12-16 total uses, before the right side of the LeapPad stopped working. Several emails to Leap Frog resulted with no reply from them. They make these products but only warrant them for 3 months. Now I know why. Our Explorer globe flopped out after only 6 months. I will admit that the Leap Frog preschool toys we own have held up great, especially with all the banging around that they get, but their expensive products like LeapPad, Explorer Globe and Leapster have not. I'd look into buying educational products from a company who is willing to stand behind them and has the necessary means to make repair work on expensive products that no longer work. Leap Frog is a company I will no longer spend any more of my hard earned money on.

Fantastic even for age 3
My three-year-old received this leappad for his birthday, which he wanted very badly, and just cannot put it down. He carries it with him throughout the day and it's the first thing he looks for when he gets up in the morning. He saw it at toysrus and just absolutely loved it so he was very excited to get one of his own. He loves learning his abc's and numbers, and loves it when his favorite characters talk back to him. This is such a great tool - if you're trying to decide between this one and the Fisher price one, go for this one. The gal at toys rus said that the fisher price one is just for preschoolers whereas the leappad will grow with the child until age 8. Not bad! ... Read more