"First off, some background. We have had the Leapster explorer for about 3 months now, from when it was released. We have owned only Leappad's in the past, though we have used many older Leapster models belonging to friends and family. This is used primarily by my 4-yr old. I will try to review the Leapter Explorer for itself, rather than comparing it to past products etc. as other reviewers have done. The explorer came with 1 or 2 games, a leaplet download card, and when we bought it - 2 free leaplet cards as a special introductory offer.The built-in stuff.

Pros - The main game on the leapster is a letter writing/tracing game, which is nice but by no means extensive. It does teach letters and I think it has improved my son's ability to recognize and write letters tremendously. Every time you complete a level or a set of letters, you get points or stars and when a parent connects the explorer to the computer, the points are redeemed for things for your pet. Which brings me to the second game, if you can call it that. There is a pet that kids can play with, feed, clean etc. I had not expected my son to have any interest in it, but he loved it. I think he played with it over and over just to get stuff for his pet. All good.

Cons - My main complaint with the Explorer is the scarcity of built-in games. Come on Leapfrog, just 1 game, for $70 that's pretty pathetic. Sure the additional leaplet download cards help, but your competition are things like iPhones and iPads, so throw in more freebies, either on it new or for download using the Leapster connect software. Maybe release API's so that everyone can make games. The other thing that really made me mad when we first used this was the advertising, as other reviewers have pointed out. Its one of the main icons on the home screen, what was surprising was that my kids didn't see it as such. They thought of them as movies about other stuff that the explorer can do. Yes, its a little disingenuous of Leapfrog, but in this age of advertising everywhere, its also a little hypocritical to complain about it too much.

After that little rant, let me say upfront that I still really like the Explorer. Its a great platform for all the other games that available, its really durable, the rechargeable batteries we use last for weeks. Its well designed, has a very bright and clear screen, clear sound, the game cartridges fit into a slot, so you don't have to worry about breaking the cartridge easily. There's a lot to like about the system".
B. Sharath "science buff" (Philadelphia, PA, USA)

"Our 6yr old loves his Leapster2. Even when he received the Didj, he still only wanted to play with his Leapster2. Now his (and my) new favorite handheld toy is the Leapster Explorer. Here are some of the main reasons why:

1) The color screen is larger and brighter. It can also display 3-d and flash animation. I also like that I can sit next to my son and see what is on the screen, whereas on the Leapster 2, you had to look at the screen straight on.

2) The interface is very user-friendly. I think a 4yr old could use it just fine.

3) I love that the Explorer adjusts to your child's skill level. This is especially important for my son because he tends to opt for easier activities. The Explorer will increase the difficulty of an activity if your child continues to excel with it. I loved that my son was learning about isosceles and scalene triangles the other day.

4) My son prefers to use the stylus over his finger when using his Explorer. So far the screen has proven to be very durable. Some of the games requires continuous tapping and sometimes my son becomes overzealous and taps a lot harder than he needs to.

5) My son loves to read and I was surprised that he was not more excited about the Explorer's having an e-reader app. I think he enjoys reading the old fashioned way.

6) Although the Explorer is not heavy, I would like to see the next one be slightly lighter in weight. The reason is because your wrist and arm can tire easily, especially if you are playing with the unit in one hand and the stylus in the other".
K. Coutu (MA)