Product Review: Leapster Explorer/ Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg

So I figured for my first review I would talk about the Leapster Explorer, and in particular, a game called Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg.

In case you aren't familiar, the Leapster Explorer is a handheld video game with interchangeable game cartridges, a touch screen and very importantly, a long battery lifetime!

The games range from age 4 to 8, but Julian has been playing his since he was 2. (never underestimate what your child can do, you'd be surprised!)

Every game we have for it is fun yet educational, with well known characters like Spongebob, Wolverine, Dora, and more.

But one game in particular that I want to talk about is a game called Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg.

This game is absolutely amazing on so many levels, and i recommend it to EVERY parent with a child ages 2-4. 

In this game, your child learns how to trace letters and numbers, as well as shapes, but in a very fun and interactive way. For instance, your child will see a scene like a park, with a bunch of unfinished things, like lines missing or parts not colored, or letters missing.

Here is a picture of the park screen before anything is done:

Your child is taken step by step through all the missing pieces,

coloring the slide,

tracing letters to spell park,

as well as other shapes and lines.

In the end, your child is shown the main screen again with everything completed, after they help to make the picture!

This is just ONE part of the game out of many different things you can do (not to mention you can even get a game expansion for Mr Pencil too, which adds even more fun things to it!)

There is even a page that is just a paint program, with colors, stamps backgrounds, and all kinds of other creative things that he can use to create a masterpiece.

at age 3, Julian can tell me all about the color wheel, horizon lines and vertical lines, and he can tell me which colors are warm colors and which colors are cool colors, all of which he learned from Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg.

There are so many amazing parts to this game that I cant even begin to list them all, but I can tell you you should get it and explore with your child on your own, because Julian has learned  A LOT from it.

Who ever said video games are bad for kids obviously has never seen this before!

leapster explorer is about $70.

games are about $15 each.

and honestly, if they JUST had ONE game, being Mr. Pencil, it would be enough.

So under $100, and fun that will last at least 3 years on one game, with the option to buy new games appropriate for the age group as your child grows.

VERY well worth it!

And in perspective, just think, it equals about the same as a nice dinner and a movie, or the same as a regular video game.

Thanks for reading our first review!