Having 3 leapsters in our house, I can say with certainty- they break. And for something so pricey, it's disappointing. And I wish I learned with the first one and registered it with them, as when it broke and called them, I wasn't sure if it was within it's one year 'warranty' period.

They did offer to replace it for about 3/4 of the current price, which I accepted. I received a refurbished one which stopped working the second time it was used. Very disappointing. Especially since I could have bought a new one for $9 more.

The first time one broke it was dropped from about 3 feet. The second one broke and the sound stopped working without any trauma from my kids.

This toy has already provided my son with hours of entertainment. He doesn't even have a game for it yet. We decided to see how our 3 year old would do with the system's games first. HE LOVES IT. He picked up the concept very quickly, and to my surprise, knows exactly what buttons to push with very little help at the start. We also look for durability in a product, as he is only 3, and his sister is not yet 2. (She tends to pick up his toys). He has dropped it by accident a few times; again, pleasantly surprised... no scratches, dents, and still works fine!

We bought this for my son's third birthday, and almost two years later he still loves playing with it. It has been very durable, and most importantly doesn't drain batteries at a ridiculous pace. Some of the games available for this system are better than others, but overall we've been extremely happy with our purchase.

Just received it, got here late but one day before i needed it for a birthday.

When my daughter was four, my husband brought her home a Leapster for Christmas. It's the older, larger Leapster. She absolutely LOVED it. Then her younger brother kept borrowing, so we decided to buy him his own when HE turned four. Hubby came home with the L-Max for him. I have to be honest and say that we've never even once plugged it into the tv. He doesn't know it has that feature and I'm not going to tell him. Now the three year old is always borrowing a Leapster. Since both of the older kids *still* play with theirs regularly, we'll be buying the three year old his own this Christmas. My daughter has had hers almost 3 years and we've had no problems with it at all. My son has had the L-Max for a year and we've had no problems with it either. My children are NOT gentle with this toy. They swing it around by the stylus, they drop it on the ground, they've even been known to hurl it across the room in a dramatic temper tantrum. (I'm not proud of that but I'll be honest at least!) Anyway, we think these are great products. They are worth every single penny in my house.

I like the fact that all the games we already own are interchangeable among all the machines so we don't have to buy the same age range of games for each new machine that comes out. I would highly recommend this product as one for your child. I am delighted that for once in my life, we spent money on a toy that could grow with our child that is actually growing with our children! It's still a desireable toy even 3 years later. AND it hasn't been discontinued early. Unlike all the other Leapfrog products we've purchased, this one is a major winner!

I've been wanting to buy this for a while for my 3 year old boy but decided to wait until christmas, until I was able to find an used Leapster for half the price on craighslist. The system that I have is the old version but it still plays the same games as this version, also it comes with more integrated games. I am very please with this system, some of the games that comes with it are hard for my 3 year old so I need to help him along. He really enjoys playing with this. Great system for the price. Extra games are a little pricey though, $20-$25 each.

My little boy who turned 4 on 08/26/08 LOVES this toy. I also got him some games but he seems pretty happy with the games that come pre-loaded. If there was 1 thing that I wish was different - it's the location of the on/off button. It's way to easy to turn it on and off. My 2 year old can turn it off while my 4 year old is playing. This is probably more of a discipline issue but still, if it were a switch (instead of a red button that looks very inviting to 2 year olds) then she couldn't turn it off easily.

This is the best educational game I have see in a long time. My grandkids love this.

I am now on my second leapster and it is not working either. The first one lasted all of two weeks then suddenly will not turn back on. Their customer service tells you to clean the battery compartment if that doesn't work then you have mishandled the game. Well I know it was not been mishandled because it literally was played with then put up on a shelf. The first one Amazon was very great about exchanging it for a new one. Now this one lasted one play time and now will not turn back on. It is now past the 30 day return time for Amazon. Doesn't really matter because I will not be messing with another one again.

This leapster is wonderfull. I got it for my son last christmas, he was 3 y.o than. He loves it and I do to because he gets to work on academic stuff such as hand writing while playng. The other amazing thing about this toy is that it is durable. I don't know how many times this toy fell and it is still perfect and looking brand new.

This was challenging enough to intrigue my children when we bought it for Christmas 2007. They were five and six, now they are six and seven. We bought the rechargeable battery pack, and a three extra games. The games are lacking a little in the entertainment dept. While very educational, they lack pizzazz. For instance, the cars driving game. My son and daughter enjoyed what they were learning. If the game had more driving challenges they would have been learning without realizing it. They like it way better than flashcards, but not enough to play the game without being interested in the subject matter. Same thing with the princess came and another math game. Also, I have not seen many, actually, any, new games on the market. Hope to see some, that I think will excite them, before christmas.
Had I purchased this a year earlier, it would have been played with on a frequent basis.
As a gift we got the pink leapster that hooks up to the T.V. I recommend that, if it is affordable, for easier family/friend interaction during game play.

Hi I have the same problem as the previous reviewer. My leapster was working fine all along for about 4 months then suddenly whenever we insert a game cartridge in, a question mark prompting for cartridge will appear. It seems that the leapster cannot recognise the presence of a cartridge. I have to knock the cartridge real hard into the leapster each time for it to work. Also, it would freeze at times, or just go off on its own halfway through the game.

I thought initially it may be due to too much playing or handling on my kids' part, now it seems that is not the case, since others also encountered this problem. I am considering buying the new leapster2 and hope that it will not have such problems again.

Yes, the Leapster is swell, all the games are wonderful, and my 2 and 4 year old have spent countless hours playing with it and all the games.

But I have had recurring bugs with the system that have cropped up through four Leapsters, all bought new:

1) The dreaded "question mark" when a game is inserted. Every single game we put in, even brand spanking new from the box, into a brand new Leapster, has the annoying "beepbeep" chime and the question mark. The only way to get it to work is to take the game out, blow on the innards (to remove crumbs/dust? I don't know) and stick the game back in. It's insane.

2) Turning off by itself

3) Freezing up

5) Sort of half freezing up, with weird "bubbles" noises, then freezing up after that.

This is with all four Leapsters, brand new batteries, brand new games. It appears to be systemic, at least with us.

I've purchased replacement Leapsters for both children, yet the problems persist. Next time they get so bad a replacement is in order, I'll try L-Max or Leapster 2 and keep my fingers crossed.

The Leapster is a great way to keep my 5 year old looking and listening to the stories to be able to get into the games. It helps him listen for story details an understand the way a story is put together. A great "toy"

The leapster I bought my son did not last through the year. It broke after about 7 months. I have tried repeatedly to contact customer service just to see if I can get it fixed. I know it's not still under warranty and I have no idea where the receipt is at this point. I have spent at least half an hour on the phone several days in a row trying to get through at Leapster. Disappointing at best.

We bought each of our children a Leapster for our 33-hour car ride. They entertained them most of the way and the children were learning as well. It was great because the Leapsters can even be played at night. Buy some headphones and you cut down on the noise. Each Leapster used 4-AA batteries which lasted at least 20 hours of continuous play.

I bought this for my three year old grandson. He loves playing with it; however, I believe some of the games are a little to advanced for him. Especially the ones that you need to use two hands. He just doesn't have the coordination to control both sides of the Leapster.

I think I am going to hold on to it and give it back to him in six months. The games are great and the Leapster is fun, but maybe for a four year old or older.

Both of my children love the leapster. We just bought a second one for our 8 year old. The only problem is with the battery cover. There is a spring covered screw that broke almost immedately. The toy still functions fine despite the battery cover problem and it keeps the kids entertained for hours. It is great on long road trips.

Both my kids have the Leapster and I have been very pleased up until now. A sylus pen has snapped in half and I am finding it impossible to get a replacement. So take good care of your stylus!

You would think you could buy a replacement but I have contacted the manufacture and they are discontinued. New pens are on backorder and to get one I have to just keep calling back every once in a while! Ok I have nothing better to do! I guess I should throw out the game and just buy a new one!

If your Leapster breaks take the pen off and sell it on ebay, it should sell fast as the only one on the planet for sale.

We have two of these, one for the 6yr old and one for the 3yr old. They both love them. As parents we find many of the games to be very educational and that they reinforce the learning the kids are doing in school. Also great for road trips.

This is far and away the most popular as well as educational toy in the house right now, and there are quite a few. I purchased it for my slightly hyperactive daughter who was nearing six at Christmas, in the hope that it would keep her in her chair (when so many other hyped products failed) and focus her attention. It has succeeded past my best hopes. She has now aced four cartridges at all levels. It has even helped her to use the family computer, where before she was too excited and willful to be able to master the necessary mouse movement and keystrokes. She has absorbed essential kindergarten skills that she was lagging in before.

There is a wide variety of cartridge choices for children 4-9, that teach skills in a very entertaining way. This product is also excellent for developing fine motor skills. I have seen a big difference since it's arrival on Christmas, in patience, focus, and precision.

There is one drawback, however: it has caused a lot of fights with her 8-year-old sister, who also loves it and can't wait to get her hands on it.

To sum it up: it's worth every penny.

Purchased 4 for grandchildren ages 10-4 yrs; they all love them and spend hours using them. Even the 2 yr old tried taking them to pretend he knew what he was doing. Terrific for traveling or "waiting" periods versus using my cell for games. Very durable; great colors.

My kids received Leapsters as Christmas presents. They were elated! The biggest gift of the season to be sure. The first sign of a problem should have been when one came w/a monitor cover and the other did not. When we called Amazon to request a cover be sent, I was basically told, it wasn't their problem and to call Leap Frog. So we did. We were told a new cover would be mailed immediately. Three weeks later, we are still waiting. Then one week after Christmas, the one w/o the monitor cover stopped working. The monitor would not reply to the stylus meaning most of the games were non-functioning. If you could get to a game that used the arrows, you were okay. I used Leap Frog's online customer support which promised a 48-72 hour response time. Let's just say I never got that even after submitting an additional complaint. Finally called them directly 20 days later only to have a basically inept customer service person who kept putting me on hold. So now we are waiting (not holding my breath) for a replacement Leapster (we'll see). I have to return the original one which she tried to have me to at my own expense - they're sending a mailing slip. Do I like the Leapster on its own - Yes, I think it is fairly educational but more just entertaining for the kids (when they aren't fighting over the working one). Would I buy another - NO WAY!

I bought this for my son for his 4th birthday. He uses it every free moment he has and the batteries have held up really well for so much use. He learned very quickly how to use the internal games and loves to draw and color. A great gift for any child.

I bought this for my son as a present for his 4th birthday in November. He has carried it everywhere with him. It is easy for him to use. He understands the directions given to him by the narrators in the games. It is durable as he has dropped it several times as a kid his age is bound to do. He sometimes gets carried away and holds it just by the pen and it hasnt broke or pulled loose either. I have to say it is very well made with a tough 4 year old in mind. He got a game to go with it for Christmas, PET PALS, and he really enjoys playing it as well as the pre-loaded games. Since I homeschool, I use this as part of his "school work" and he really thinks that is just too cool. As much as he carries it to and from his grandparents, I am going to need to get the carrying case. Overall, a great product for a four year old, and my 8 y/o enjoys it when allowed to play with it too.

My nephew loved this toy. Even his little sister who is just three loved it. She preferred his leapster over her LeapPad.

My son (3 years old) got this for Christmas. He loves it. It's one of the first things he asks for in the morning and we had to make a rule: "No Leapster in bed." We have also had to do a Leapster time-out because he won't put it down. He loves it so much. It seems like a great game system just make sure that your child treats it with respect. But at $90 who wouldn't teach them how to treat it. Perfect for smart 3 year olds, even though the manufacture says 4 years and up. I hope your child finds as much joy with this as my son did.

My 7 y/o son received this for Christmas instead of his requested Nintendo DS. I was afraid he wouldn't like it. I could not have been more wrong. He absolutely loves it and is enjoying learning. His birthday is in March and he is requesting more games. I do recommend buying the ac adapter to enjoy hours of playtime without interruption.

I bought this for my five year old son for Christmas. He asked for a Nintendo DS. Leapster has a lot similarities with these other systems. It is more durable and educational. My older kids - Ages 10 & 11 - also like to play it. They don't even realize that they are learning. It's just that they are playing a game. I also like that there are many different games available.

The leapfrog Leapster Learning game system came without its four DVDs. I let Amazon know and now my grandson has all four plus a new computer. Many thanks.

Susan Moore

This toy has been a lifesaver. My soon to be four year old thought he needed a Nintendo DS, but Santa talked him into this. He absolutely loves it! It is just amazing to watch how they soon learn what letters are what, numbers, colors, and shapes. This just added to what he already knew, but makes him think! Thank you leapster!

I purchased this for my 5 yr old daughter and she really loved it but it caused an issue between her and my 3 year old son. I didn't think a 3 yr old would be able to play with this, but he loves it as well and I should have purchased one for him to avoid the throwdown.
Great toy and they will sit (mainly in the car) for quite a while playing with it, especially the part where they color in the scenes and add the moving characters like ghosts, shooting stars, etc. I was worried that my son would destroy this like all other toys, but so far it has held up to some pretty impressive drops.

This LeapFrog product is an excellent learning tool as well as a fun toy. One of my grandchildren had one. The others vied for a turn to play with it. I bought this one as a birthday gift for one of the younger children. She loves it and learned how to play the games quickly. The only problem I have seen with the Leapster Learning System is how do you get your child to stop playing with it?

I bought the Leapster and the Go Diego Go game for my 3 1/2 year old nephew. It was the "hit" of his christmas. He LOVES the leapster and is very good at playing the game. It is definitely appropriate for a 3 1/2 year old and is very educational. Even his eight year old brother (who has a gameboy) wanted to play the leapster. I definitely recommend this game!

My son loves his Leapster! He spends time everyday playing one of the cartriges. We take it everywhere with us to keep him occupied, in the car, grocery shopping, waiting for an oil change, etc. As a parent, I love it as well.