Review: LeapFrog Leapster2
Written on Jan 1, 2009 by Brian and filed under LeapFrog, Reviews
The Leapster2 is part of an extensive line of edutainment systems from LeapFrog. We’ve recently reviewed the Tag Reading System and Didj Gaming System from LeapFrog and this time we take a look at the Leapster2 which is a portable gaming system designed for kids ages 4-8.
Of course the Leapster2 integrates with the LeapFrog Connect desktop application so kids can earn rewards and parents can track progress.
The Leapster2 System
The handheld itself is perfectly designed for kids in this age group. It offers a chunky design that’s easy to grip, but also durable enough to withstand a few inevitable drops. Incidentally during testing a certain five-year-old dropped the unit three times onto hard surfaces and aside from a few scratches, the unit was operationally in good shape.
While you can buy a rechargeable battery unit for the Leapster2, out of the box it’s powered by four AA batteries (not included) that are secured with a screw. Thankfully the screw can be opened with a dime or other impromptu screwdriver.
Kids will interact with the Leapster2 in a variety of ways. Most of the games rely on a combination of input from the navigational D-pad, A and B buttons, and the touchscreen. The touchscreen is operated with a stylus that is tethered to the unit so it won’t get lost. The stylus also has a storage port at the top of the Leapster2.
Speaking of the top of the unit, that’s also where you’ll find the power button, game cartridge slot and mini-USB port for connecting to a PC. The screen is flanked to the left by the D-pad and three other buttons; home, help and pause. These three buttons are actually used quite a bit and kids quickly figured out their purpose for navigating and getting in-game help. To the right of the screen are the A and B buttons in addition to the speaker.
The bottom of the unit has a headphone jack and AC power adaptor (sold separately), along with volume controls and a few other controls we weren’t expecting. In addition to brightness controls there’s also a contrast control. Combined these really let the parent, or advanced child, get the screen just right for various lighting conditions.
One other note that we’ll discuss more a little later, is within the battery compartment there’s a slot for a Secure Digital memory card.
Overall, the build quality of the unit is remarkable and certainly kid-tough given our accidental tests. The Leapster2 design is well thought out and best of all, intuitive for kids.
Leapster2 Gaming
The Leapster2 is surprisingly flexible when it comes to the game options. Out of the box it comes with a pair of games pre-installed on the unit, Dragons to the Rescue and Creativity Art Studio. You can also play the cartridge games and there are also games available for download to an SD card.
When the unit is powered on, kids can select the source of the game they want to play, the internal games, SD card games or a cartridge game. Once into the game area, the Leapster2 does a good job instructing kids what to do to get started.
Most often the kids will play one of their cartridge games. The Leapster2 library is quite extensive, there are dozens of games available for the system that focus on nearly every aspect of learning. The Leapster2 does play the older Leapster cartridges, but these won’t offer the online benefits of LeapFrog Connect.
As noted, the system comes with two games pre-installed. One is an art studio type game where they can use effects to paint, draw, color and that sort of thing. Kids can then save their creation for later viewing or editing.
The other game that comes on the Leapster2 is Dragons to the Rescue. This is a great little game that offers number and letter/spelling games as the little dragons try to save the kingdom. The game comes in four difficulty levels which broadens the appeal. The game is designed like a forward scrolling shooter where kids battle bad storm clouds while working with numbers or spelling words.
Currently there are two free games that can be downloaded to an SD card, one each for number and letter learning. The games are small, so this is actually a great use for an old memory card. LeapFrog intends to add more games to the download library that could be free or paid. The games are surprisingly good, my son played the caterpillar letter chomping game extensively, sometime preferring it to the cartridge games.
The other game is like Space Invaders for numbers where kids have to blast the correct rock. Both download games offer three levels of difficulty and two player mode. We definitely recommend grabbing the free games, they’re well done and the kids really enjoyed them.
I hope LeapFrog continues adding more to the download library. The only problem we noticed is that pressing the home button while in the SD games does not bring you back to the home screen. You must turn off the machine and back on to select a new game or otherwise get back home. This is a bug that we’ve reported to LeapFrog and hope it gets resolved.
LeapFrog Connect for Leapster2
As with other recent LeapFrog releases, Leapster2 works with the LeapFrog Connect software. The Leapster2 supports three user profiles that can be paired with an appropriate child’s learning path (We spent more time on the learning path in our Tag Reading System review).
It’s important for parents to know that even if you have installed the Connect software on a PC, you have to install the Leapster2 version to get the proper drivers on your computer. It’s a little annoying to have to go through that process, LeapFrog could do better when it comes to adding systems to the already-installed Connect software.
After the install either create new profiles for each child or pair existing profiles with the Leapster2 users. From there the data will sync every time you plug in the Leapster2 to your computer. LeapFrog recommends doing this weekly if possible to get consistent reporting from the device. As we’ve said before, the Connect software and learning path tracking for parents add so much depth to the system, it’s a huge bonus and a great way for parents to stay connected to the curriculum of the games their kids are playing.
As for the activities in the LeapFrog connect software for the Leapster2, it’s still a bit in process. There’s an art studio game that lets kids create drawings with art tools, stampers and the like, all with backgrounds and other fun objects. This is also the same area where parents can download games to the SD card and where kids can see their game rewards. But it’s clear LeapFrog is still working on features here and in the future there will probably be more for kids to interact with through the Connect software.
Bottom Line
It’s getting a little boring to say this, but for the third time in a row, LeapFrog has hit it out of the park with their devices. We loved the Tag Reading System and the Didj…and now we love the Leapster2 as well. The game library is deep, the system is designed well and the free content is superb. Couple this with the learning path information parents can get and it’s a tremendous offering and gets our first 5 star rating.
5 out of 5 stars – Editor’s Choice
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