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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67 in Toys & Games
• Color: Green
• Brand: LeapFrog
• Model: 21155
• Released on: 2008-07-01
• Dimensions: 13.00" h x 10.30" w x 2.50" l, 1.55 pounds

Features

• 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.

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

From the Manufacturer
Leapster2 Connected Learning Game System Introducing Leapster2 - the only preschool learning game system that offers personalized insights into what your child is learning. Following on the heels of the best-selling Leapster® learning game system, the new Leapster2 handheld is the next generation of learn-everywhere gaming from LeapFrog. Like the Leapster learning game system, the Leapster2 handheld offers a robust learning experience through built-in tutorials and learning levels that adapt automatically to your child’s pace. Its touch screen and stylus help develop motor skills used in writing, while its compact design makes it easy for kids to play on the go. It’s also compatible with all 30+ Leapster learning games, so kids can practice a wide variety of skills for school as they play and learn with their favorite characters. Yet the Leapster2 system also offers a whole new layer of benefits by connecting to the computer. Your kids can play on the go, and then connect their handhelds to your home computer to collect fun rewards they’ve earned. A new online creativity studio also lets them upload art that they’ve created, embellish it or change it completely, and publish it to share. With the new USB connection, you can also see your children’s progress in recent games, get detailed updates on the skills they are exploring and share in their accomplishments. The Leapster2 system is one of three new LeapFrog Connected learning systems that connect to the LeapFrog Learning Path, a free online tool at leapfrog.com that offers unparalleled insights into your child’s learning. Appropriate for ages 4 years to 8 years. All Leapster games work with all Leapster systems.

Customer Reviews

Nice product, poor deployment!
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 promised in early August, then delayed and announced it would be ready by August 21st. On August 22nd, LeapFrog announced that Learning Path has now been delayed and will launch in "mid-September".

Until the Learning Path becomes active, the online "downloadable" games that are touted will not function and are not available. The ability to see the progress your child makes is not available. There are issues with the Leapster2 "freezing up" which was supposed to be fixed with a software update. If you plug in an SD card so your child can save pictures he/she has colored, they can not save them because that feature "will become active when the downloadable games are available".

We purchased TWO Leapster2 game systems (one pink, one green) from Amazon at $70/each. We also purchased TWO game cases at $15/each, and 3-4 game titles. While the kids are still able to enjoy them to some extent, I can't help but to feel I was sold something that was high on promise but VERY VERY short on delivery. I am very disappointed in LeapFrog in how they have handled this product launch, as I have come to expect better from them.

Update 01/12/09:
After 6 months of use, our Leapster2 is FINALLY functioning the way we had hoped and expected. While the pink Leapster2 functioned well, we had issues with the "Leapster Connect" software recognizing the two Leapster2's that we had purchased. After working with a Leapster support rep (Bill), who was VERY helpful and patient, it was determined that the issue was related to the SD card in our green Leapster2, even though the card functioned for all other uses. Leapster sent us a pre-formatted 128Mb card with the two downloadable games (those were not available until sometime in September/October). Upon installing the new card, everything functioned better.

As for the "LeapFrog Learning Path" website... now that it is finally online and functional, it's really helpful for seeing how much time your child is spending playing the games. It also gives you a decent idea of how they are doing with certain skills, though it would be nice if it identify your child's weaknesses and recommend things to work on. One caveat is that the time-spent is cumulative, based upon when you last uploaded the data. So although it does accumulate play data for a while, you should plug it in weekly if you want to know how much time s/he is playing on a weekly basis (otherwise, you'll get something like 12 hours for one week).

After 6 months and several updates and headaches, I would change my review to 4 stars if I could. However, I am still disappointed that Leapster released a product that was so clearly not ready for market. It appears they have corrected some issues, but still have other issues outstanding. The game systems HAS proven durable, though I would recommend screen protectors to keep the screen from getting scratched, and highly recommend the LeapFrog® Leapster®2 Learning Game Case if your child plans to travel with his/her Leapster2, and the LeapFrog® Leapster®2 Recharging Station if your child uses it often (batteries are expensive!!).

Update 10/28/09 (final update):
After a litte over a year of use, the Leapster 2's that we purchased are holding up. Though we still get some quirky freeze-ups every now and then, we've not had any additional major issues. My son has actually kicked his around quite a bit, and for the most part it has (physically) held up well. I continue to think that we should have purchased some screen protectors, because it slides around on the floorboard of the van as often as it spends in its case. All things considered, even after the introduction of the online "Learning Path", we have not been diligent about uploading the data. Yes, it gives you SOME basic overview on how your child is progressing with certain skills, but it's not something most people wouldn't identify on their own. We have not been inspired to purchase a ton of games for this, but the LeapFrog® Leapster®2 Recharging Station turned out to be a wise purchase. It has probably paid for itself in batteries, and my 5yr-old son can charge it on his own. My daughter, who is now in first grade, actually gets the least amount of use from her Leapster. Of course, the $45 that Amazon is now listing it for is nearly half what we paid for ours! So at that price, it would still be worth it. But she is quickly "growing out" of her Leapster, and is eyeballing the Nintendo DS. She still plays with it on road trips, but it's not a regular play thing for her. My son absolutely LOVES his LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game: Cars and LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game: Wall-E games. In fact, these games have kept him so entertained that we have not felt the need to buy additional games. Perhaps if there were some title that were geared toward older kids (High School Musical?), my daughter would remain as engaged.

Better than ever!
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 colors are great, the shape is better than the old ones, in my opinion. The stylus pen is secured by a thin fabric like cord rather than a heavy electronics cord, so it is easier to maneuver and it doesn't seem like it will break as easily. The sound is better and the screen is just as nice, if not better. We are very happy with this purchase, and our son likes it too. We have not tried the other games yet, but his old ones work just fine, as they are supposed to. I would defintitely recommend this model. I will also update the review when I have used the online functions.

Already in Storage
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 rocket game and had a hard time trying to keep up - the idea of the game is similar to space invaders but the controls move so slowly that it is impossible to destroy the numbered rocks in a timely manner to go to the next number. Also, during play an announcement for the next number is hard to hear because of the blast in the background. I end up losing a spaceship because of this.
* I plugged the device into my computer to access the features online. Fortunately (not really) it was late and I had 30 minutes to spare for the two times my (very modern) computer locked up. The next day I tried to navigate the website to track my sons' progress and to download any rewards he may have won. Somebody shoot me now.... that experience was absolute torture. It's hard for me to believe that this company with all of it's wisdom could have such a poorly designed sight. I had a difficult time understanding what and where to go to make the thing work. I even looked up instructions on how to delete a player name from the device since our babysitter thought it would be a good idea to put her name in - the website instructed me on the consequences of deleting a name but never told me how to delete the name. Double grrrrr!
* For the pricetag it's disappointing to only get installed games which are not well designed. I am headed to the store to purchase another game cartridge and cross my fingers that the game is a little more engaging for the 30 extra bucks I'm going to spend.
* 4 AA batteries. I can see this being a problem on long trips. just have to make sure there are extra batteries around.
* Accessories - I have to buy more accessories to get comfortable with the device - a charging system is a separate purchase as well as a carrying case. Why couldn't that have come with the device already?
* The display - so far the display output is poor- the details and light strength are not very good quality and leave much to be desired. This is by far the most disappointing issue. The only person that can see the screen clearly is the player so it makes it difficult for me to help my son with some of the games.
* the Stylus pencil - I don't understand why the stylus is used to get into the game and then when you start playing the games you have to dock the stylus and use the controls. I can foresee the stylus as a potential problem as my son has already tried to carry the device with the stylus and lanyard.
* the price - I just feel that for the 70 bucks I paid that I should have gotten a lot more out of this. I think (with the 1 week experience that I have) that 40 dollars would have been fair - 50 dollars would have still had me unhappy.

The good:
* the device seems to be sturdily built. At least that's my assumption since it is quite bulky for my 4 year olds' tiny hands.
* So far there seems to be a good selection of games. But I have to admit my fear that the games may be bad and every new game will cost about 30 dollars each.
* I put a 2gb SD card in and so far not a single problem.


I have a feeling that this device will quickly phase itself out with the boring games and the sub par display. I don't see our family holding on to the device for more than 6 months because so far we are unimpressed. As a matter of fact my 4 year old son has already put the device in storage and I'm trying to salvage my purchase as you read this. I recommend you do more research before you purchase.