LeapFrog Clickstart My First Computer

My grand children just enjoy playing with the Click Start computer. The only is the batteries, wish their was a turn off switch for the Key board.

Bougth this for my 3 yr & 2mth old for Xmas 08. So far, the games that come with the console and the "Art Studio" cartridge we bought, have not engaged her. I'm am looking into buying additional games, but I am somewhat hesitant for the following reasons:

1) Batteries do not last more than 25 minutes of TOTAL play. We have already changed them twice (4 C batteries) and she has only played with it 3 times, for less than 10 minutes. I see that there's and adapter that can be purchased separetely... I am upset that this is not already included with the unit, as it is pretty much useless without it.

2) Very few games (3 max) per cartrdige, [...].

3) Games don't seem that engaging. Granted, we only have the basic ones and the Art Studio, but my daughter already got tired of them in 3 sits. She prefers by far PBSkids.org, which she is currently begging me to let her get on to play.

Perhaps for kids that have never been on a computer, this can probe entertaining, even educational. Maybe because my daughter is familiar with computers already- she browses on her own on PBSkids-, this game is boring to her. Don't know. [...]

Last thing, I would not recommend this for a child over 3 yrs old. It is misleading to say that the games are appropriate for children 3-6 yrs. My 5 yr old boy, was excited about it, tried it, and turned it off. And just so you know, this is the first year they have been exposed to anything other than PBSDkids.org (we bought him the Leapster 2, and he likes it).

My son got this for Christmas and loves it. The games that come with it help teach numbers, letters, colors & words. I like the fact that it has a qwerty keyboard which will help him as he gets older and uses a real computer. There's a spelling game that shows the letters on the screen in the same color it is on the keyboard which is extremely helpful. My son is 4 and plays the games that came with it as well as the Diego game. We just picked up the Toy Story game but haven't started with that yet. There are also games that require him to use the mouse as well. One game only uses the mouse and only requires they click on colored balls that splatter paint. Even my 2 year old can do that game and she enjoys it. I highly recommend this.

My daughter knows how to use a mouse now. She loves to play with this educational toy! I would highly recommend this for a child. It does come w/ some games already, I didn't know this. I stocked up on games but she really plays w/ the ones that are already on it. We love it!

We've had the Click Start for over a year now. My Daughter is nearly 4 and she's been able to play it by herself for a year now. My main complaint is that the paw mouse pad isn't big enough for the mouse and cursor to travel across the entire screen. This frustrates my child to no end because she can't collect the stars (the rewards for completing a level). The mouse pad also has ridges on it that prevents the mouse from staying flat on the pad, so even when it can reach something, it can lose its location because the ridges lift it off the pad. Having to pick up the mouse to reposition it constantly is extremely annoying and not something a child really gets.

The games are also way too short. It takes just a few minutes to finish the two levels and they really need to be longer to keep the kids occupied. The games are extremely simplistic and barely educational. If you're child can move a mouse and work the click start, chances are they already know what the color red is, or what a triangle is.

Instead of a flawed simplistic click start computer, I'd recommend other games on a real computer for the kids. Reader Rabbit is very good and our daughter can spend hours playing it. Its more interactive, simple to use, and has many more game options to play.

For Christmas, we got a Wii and at nearly 4 years old, my daughter can do some of the games. The Outdoor Adventure is great for kids and adults. She's not quite ready for Wii Sports. She can do and likes Mario Cart. I know a Wii is expensive compared to this, but the click-start games are expensive too once you've made the investment and you get so much more fun and options. So don't waste your money on this faux computer.