Last year, we bought my5 year old son a Leapster Explorer. He wanted a DS, but I didn't want him to just have a handheld video game where he wouldn't learn anything except shooting things. We decided on the Explorer and haven't regretted it since. We even bought one for my daughter who is only 2. They have learned spelling, math, reading and so much more. I was even able to download a few Leapfrog movies to help entertain them during car rides, waiting at the doctor's office or in restaurants. There are a few things that would make it better. You definitely want to buy the rechargeable battery pack because it does go through batteries. I would also like if there was a bit more room to have things loaded on it at a time, but you can always rotate what you have actively on the hand held.

My daughter received this gift as a Christmas gift when she had just turned 4. She has had other learning toys in the past but nothing that she liked as much. She will be 5 this weekend and will not put it down. I love the fact that it tracks their progress and tells you what areas they need to continue to work on, and the kids receive rewards for playing which they can redeem online. There is so much to do, she can go online and decorate her own house or go to a carnival. You can download games or short videos directly off the computer as well. I would definitely recommend this ages 4 and up.

I own many Leapster products and we were excited when my Daughter received the Leapster Explorer for a gift. I was disappointed to learn the product games are not as involved or long as past Leapster 1 games. The parent features of the Explorer are great, but we hardy use the online games and other internet options. I would not recommend the Explorer to a friend, but would recommend Leapster 1 or 2.