Games Reviews

My son is 5 and also loves his L-Max. With as much time as he spends with it, I like that he can actually learn something instead of just feed the mindless gaming habit.

As for the battery pack, according to another review I've read, you can purchase just the battery pack directly from LeapFrog. I looked on their website and didn't find it, but I'm sure if you call their customer service, they would be happy to help.

My only problem with the L-Max is that the games are so limited. My son is 5 and there are only about 4 games for his age group and even fewer as the kids get older. And for as much as you pay for the L-Max, I'd like it to last longer than 3rd or 4th grade.

Since the L-Max came with nothing and it eats batteries very quickly this was a saving grace for us. It was hard to believe that the L-max didn't even come with an a/c adaptor which we thought was a rip off. If you have an L-Max or are considering buying one the Recharging Kit is a MUST!

My oldest son was given an L-Max for Christmas and loves it. He drained the batteries in two days. (We're getting a recharger now.) His two younger brothers sit on either side of him and watch him as he plays, and once in a while he lets our four year old use it too. The games seem easy to play and actually teach kids something instead of just being a "mindless" game. We started out with two games and are now ordering more. We have not tried any of the L-Max games yet, but hope to soon. The game is also great for long trips!

After buying my daughter (will be 3 in one month) the Care Bears game and found that it was EXTREMELY difficult even for my 5 year old son (before he attended kindergarten), I decided to look for something with a character that is generally aimed at the 3ish age group. This game is excellent in that the 4 colored buttons are generally used instead of the joystick. The numbers sections are excellent and my daughter does really well with them. The only problem with the shapes section of the learning zone is that it really is about patterns, and not about shapes at all. The biggest problem I found is that for the letters section, Elmo assumes that your child already knows his or her letters. How many 3 year olds can actually differentiate between or identify a "b" and a "p" or a "c" and "g", etc. At this age, it's not going to help a kid to sit them down and walk away, an adult or older child needs to sit with them to help them out with the game until they have really mastered it. Overall, I definitely like this Elmo game compared to some of the other games we have. I have also heard the Barney game is similar in that the 4 colored buttons are the main controllers.

My daughter got this game when she was 2 1/2. She loves it! She can actually play it all on her own. We found that the Dora game was a little too hard for her because of all of the joystick use. A lot of the Elmo game can be played by simply using the jump button to move and the colored buttons for the small games. There are also harder levels that would be appropriate for her to grow into or for an older child. I think this game is much better suited for a child aged 2-3 than the game that comes with the Vsmile. She gets too frustrated with that one. I would have given it 5 stars, but the only flaw I see is that Elmo is very hard to understand. A lot of the times she can figure out what he is saying but no always. That's just Elmo though. He's always been a little hard to understand.

This is a good game for a 4 year old. not too easy, but not too challenging. but boy is elmo hard to understand!!! I love the music in this game, but the elmo narration could be better. i know my son doesn't understand half of what elmo is saying and he just figures out what he's supposed to do by trial and error. I love the animation - elmo runs into something and he bounces back and giggles. my son loves it and runs elmo into things on purpose just to see that. really cute. It did not get 5 stars just because the narration could and should be more clear for the little ones to understand. we love having to find the animals and then the letters.

For the most part this is a good toy. It was actually one of the easier items I took out of a box this week :)

My daughter (4) loves it and as long as you can tolerate the "Mommy/Daddy the wing fell off can you put it back on?" every 5-10 minutes then it really is good. I guess if your child is old enough and has the dexterity to put the wings back on by herself this toy would be GREAT!

My 6 year old daughter wanted this pegasus so badly and was thrilled when she received it for Christmas. I had read about the wings falling off, so I wasn't surprised when one of them was a constant problem. I didn't want to glue the wings on because then she would only be a pegasus, not a horse as well.

Now, my daughter is in tears because she brushed the mane and it has turned into a big purple afro. My daughter is not very rough on toys, but she wanted to brush the hair and you'd think since there was a brush and hair accessories included that the hair was brushable. NOT SO! I've tried to fix the hair but it seems to be permanently frizzed out a la finger in a light socket. I played with Barbies and Barbie horses as a child and never had one whose hair just turned into a rats nest. I'm disappointed and so is my daughter!

she is so enchanting. Breitta has beutiful wings, but for me they only come off if I bang her into something. Her crown lites up and looks so pretty if your playing in the night. Her hair looks very nice when you first get her out. The only thing is she has a hard box to open, but dont let that stop you from geting one of the best barbie horse ever.

Baribe Fan

Barney and friends is better then some others but not as much fun as Winnie the Pooh.

We just got my son a VSmile for Christmas. He just turned three and to be honest I thought it would be more of a toy he would "grow into". Along with the game the unit comes with he received the Wiggles, Barney, and Bob the Builder. I had actually read reveiws and had told people to get Dora and Winnie the Pooh but they were unable to find them so they he got these games instead. The Wiggles and Bob the Builder games both lived up to their horrible reviews. Too hard for a three year old and they won't be interesting for an older child. However, the Barney game was a different story. My three year old loves this game. Yes the fundamental learning skill are very basic- counting, colors, letter recognition, etc- but the activities are really geared toward three year olds. There are actually some parts of the game that my son can play all by himself. We are very happy that he has this game to learn on without getting frustrated.

Like most every game for this system (thus far), the age printed on the box for the would be buyer is not always honest, until now. "Barney: The Land Of Make Believe" (3-5 years) is the lone exception. Also like most the other vsmile games, Barney has excellent character similarities as to the TV show. The Graphics are fine. The music is also similar to the TV show. For easy & immediate play, choose the Learning Zone, all of which are the easiest to play + win, unlike past games & the game play is quite excellent, no boring & pasty short games, the replay value on the Learning Zone is a 10 out of 10, it's done perfectly. The Learning Adventure on the other hand has some unnecessary + boring selections like the 1st (numbers) & last (directions). Yes the game is not perfect, but it has more then enough of fun activates that will not get boring, until your child turns 6. ENJOY!

When I was seven years old I received a Magic 8 Ball for Christmas. As soon as I unwrapped it, I ignored every other present under the tree for the next half hour, so absorbed was I in the 8 Ball. Fast-forward some quarter of a century later when my own son was seven. I passed my 8 Ball down to him. That's how durable it is.

WHAT IT IS:
The Magic 8 Ball looks almost exactly like the 8-ball in a billiard game, only larger; about five inches in diameter, slightly flattened on one side, which allows it to sit on a flat surface without rolling off, and constructed of very hard black plastic. The flattened side is a round window, in which you can see an icosahedron (a 20-sided geometric figure) floating in water. On each face of the icosahedron is a phrase written in white: Yes, Without A Doubt, My Sources Say No, Concentrate And Ask Again, Yes Definitely, Outlook Not So Good, You May Rely On It, Ask Again Later, etc. The positive, negative and vague phrases are distributed about 10-5-5, so you get a 50% chance of a positive response, a 25% chance of a negative response, and a 25% chance of a vague response.

HOW TO PLAY:
Using the 8 Ball is great fun. You hold the ball face up, with the 8 showing, and ask a yes-or-no question. Turn the ball over, wait a second or two, and as if by magic (at least young children will think so), a face of the icosahedron with the answer to your question will swim eerily up into the window. The question, of course, should make sense. I remember my bratty little five year old neighbor down the hall complaining that my new 8 Ball was dumb -- "I asked it, Is my mother a boy? and it said Yes." I told her "Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer." She went home in a huff.

The big caveat in playing with the 8 Ball, of course, is taking it too seriously. It's a game, for heaven's sake. It's a toy, actually, but grownups who think they are too grown up for toys can call it a desk game or whatever else they want. (Law & Order SVU fans: check out the 8 Ball sitting on Detective Tutuola's desk.) You can ask the 8 Ball any question that can be answered with a yes or a no; like most other fortunetelling games, its response will be right some of the time. Using the 8 Ball to play the stock market is definitely dicey. It's can be frustrating when you're told to "Concentrate And Ask Again", or "Ask Again Later". I wanna know now, dammit.

The Magic 8 Ball is one of the classic toys, like Slinky, Mister Potato Head, and Lego blocks, that have stood the test of time. It's easy to use and great fun.

SAFETY/DURABILITY:
I've never known an 8 Ball to break. My own was dropped on the hard floor innumerable times and never showed a crack. Maybe if you bounced it at 90 miles an hour off a concrete wall...

AGE RANGE:
Age 5 to adulthood. Children under 5 will probably find it too large and too heavy to handle easily.

Judy Lind

it helps u from making descions. when ur under pressure, u can just ask ur magic8 ball...its cute even though its a ball. i luv asking stupid questions or questions that i need asnswers to. its fun and helpful. u can use it at any age!<3

When I was a kid, my brother and I would play with my Grandfather's Magic 8 Ball. We could sit there for hours thinking up questions to ask the ball and then laugh hysterically at the answers that popped up.

I have to admit that I'd forgotten all about the Magic 8 Ball until a recent trip to Toys 'R Us for some early Christmas shopping. While wandering up and down the aisles, I rediscovered the Magic 8 Ball! It's hard to imagine getting so excited over a toy, but I nearly jumped for joy at the sight of it! As soon as I got back to the car, I ripped the packaging open and started asking questions. My favorite answers are, of course, Yes and You Can Rely On It! Once home, I called my brother to see if he remembered sitting on Grandpa's front porch playing with the Magic 8 Ball. This turned into a great conversation about us as kids and for that alone, this ball is magical!

If you are looking for a fun toy or to bring back memories of childhood, the Magic 8 Ball just might be the answer! It was for me!

My 3 year old son has a speech delay. His speech therapist suggested getting him a game that would help him develop eye-hand coordination, learning his colors, letters, etc...I was afraid that the joystick controls would be too advanced for him, and unfortunately I was right. First of all, I couldn't get him to quit turning it on and off (they need to make the buttons less accessable). Then when we did manage to get him to leave it on, he quickly got frustrated with the all the buttons and joystick. I've read the positive reviews, and I wish that I could be positive as well, but.....if your child has a delay this game will be far too advanced. I returned the system the following day.

I bought this for my son, who was at the time [...]. He wasn't much interested in it at that time. Like many others, though, within a few months of having it, the system won't turn on most of the time, and if it does turn on, it'll turn off with the slightest "wrong" move (not yet sure what that is). I know the system may have been "bumped" (and by that I mean lightly) by him a few times, but that was it. My son is now [...] and has shown more interest in wanting to play it, but we not only have difficulty getting it on, the games will no longer show up on the screen (they're all scrambled). We've taken good care of this system and it almost seems as though it's failure is inevitable. I came on this site to see if anyone else was having the same trouble I was, and not to my surprise, they were. My sister-in-law had also bought one the same time we did, and there's was broken even before ours. In my opinion, this is a system that should be $5! Please don't waste your money on this. While the games are nice, it's not worth buying if it's not going to work for long!

My daughter is 9, and has cerebral palsy. She has NEVER in her life been able to play a game of any sort by herself... until V-Smile! She asked for this for Christmas and I was not going to waste the money on something else she couldn't do, but then someone sent me money to buy her a gift from them. I bought the V-Smile, and she spent 11 straight hours Christmas day playing this game BY HERSELF! She was ecstatic! The next day was the same. Her hands can operate the controls, and I put double-sided Velcro on the bottom to stick it to a special table she uses so it doesn't slip. She has played with this consistently since December and still loves it, especially because she can do it on her own. Recently I bought another one for her classroom and she has gotten a blast out of teaching it to the other kids. Now she is working on earning another cartridge (by certain behaviors) - she has already earned one - it's the best prize for her! I just found out that you can add another joystick so 2 people can play and each have their own, so I'm buying it. Never had any trouble with malfunction, and I have to say.... V-smile makes ME smile!

We are huge Leapster fans. We have two for our kids aged 5&7. This game in particular is quite fun, interesting, and has some great 'skills' to teach. I'm very pleased with it, and they enjoy it as well.

This game was a big hit with my 6-year old twins!!! Very pleased!

I have owned this doll for over six months now. She is in wonderful condition. I'm not sure where to start, because everything about this doll takes my breath away! I will describe my doll to you.

Lindsay Lohan, a popular actress and singer, is now a beloved collector doll in millions of homes. I'd like to start by saying that this doll not onlt resembles, but looks exactly like the real Lindsay Lohan(before she died her hair blonde then brown). Everything about her looks like the real Lindsay Lohan-from her long red hair, to her freckles, to her eyes, and even her smile! $30 was a wonderful bargain for a collectors doll so beautiful with so much durability. Her coat is super soft, and easy to get on. Her dress is beautiful. It has a flower as a pin. Her extra outfit has many possibilities. The extra skirt may be used as a dress, or it can be matched with the blouse, or it can be paired with the white shirt. All of these options may be used with the coat or wrap. On top of that, there are two pairs of shoes to choose from. All the clothes match, so you don't have to worry about the combination outfits looking weird. Both shoes are easy to slide on, but personally, I don't care for the pink shoes. They make Lindsay's feet look large and pointed. But that's only my opinion. Lindsay has amazing accessories. Her director's char and red-carpet ropes look fabulous when on display. All of the little accessories, I won't get into. They are somewhat useful, but not so important. I would like to describe one of them. The laptop has a cd drive that can be opened. The dvd cases can then be opened, and the dvd's inside of them may be places into the cd drive. Nothing will happen, of course, but it's great to pretend.

So, do I recommend this doll? Most definately! What's not to love?

(...)

Well im not a total my scene/barbie doll lover but this one looks nice and has alot of cool stuff

PS..to the person who was trying to find the club birthday chelsea i m not totaly 100% sure but i think u can get it at walmart. hope this helps

The person who received it is very happy however I am very diappointed with the billing. I had a $10 gift card and it would not reflect the discount when I tried to purchase online so I called in and talked to someone. He said that the discount would not show up immediately online but it would be applied when my card is charged. Well, I was charged the full price without the discount. That was very disappointing and I didn't take action because I am busy and didn't want to have to deal with it. Instead I told everyone I know about my bad experience.

This puzzle has been through two kids in my house and it's still in great shape. The cardboard is thick and durable. The picture is friendly and interesting. It's been a favorite with my kids.

However, if you are buying this puzzle for a two-year old or younger, this puzzle can be very cumbersome to solve simply because the pieces are gigantic. As a small child solves the puzzle, he must basically crawl over it to reach the other parts and that causes the pieces to come apart. The floor puzzles like this one have caused some aggravation with my kids simply because they can't avoid getting on the puzzle to reach sections and that undoes their work. We have found smaller sized pieces to be easier to solve, as long as the fine motor skills allow. Just something to keep in mind...

Both of my boys love Thomas. I really scored when I found this Thomas puzzle. The puzzles is built to take the abuse of a 2 & 4 yr. The box that it comes in, is a bit of pain to get all the tabs undone to get to the puzzle. Cute box, but a pain.

M.G.

My 3 year old likes this puzzle (she loves the Thomas character) and really enjoys doing this one. The color is bright and the picture is interesting. This one is a great starter for kids learning how to work with puzzles. I gave 4 out of 5 only because this one isnt as challenging as some other 24 piece puzzles... though that doesnt seem to deter my youngster, who puts it together daily.