Little Leaps Grow-With-Me Learning System
© 2006 LeapFrog
Featuring top quality video content but sluggish interactivity, this interactive DVD system has a double-sided remote control that must be programmed for your particular brand of DVD player. The DVD content consists of high quality musical animations, puppetry and first person walks in the park, with frequent pauses that ask for a child to "touch any button to continue" or "which animal sounds like ('meow')." The TV experience can be compared to shows like Dora the Explorer or Blue's Clues, with phantom interactive moments that ask children to fill in the blank by calling out, plus mini multiple-choice quizzes, where any button press results in more footage. After the two AA batteries are installed, the remote must be programmed to match your brand of DVD player using a long list of codes. The settings of up to to three DVD players can be saved in memory. The setup process can be tricky due in part because four languages are involved. The innovative controller flips over in its base. There is one side for babies with three buttons and one side for toddlers with a large joystick. The buttons are fun to press, but repeated presses have no effect on the screen, other than a meaningless "not allowed at this moment" message. At various points in the footage, the narrator prompts "to see more lions, push a button" followed by silence and a still screen. Any button press, either intentional or accidental, will result in the footage continuing — a cute scene of a mother and baby lion. If no button is pressed, eventually the program jumps to the next sequence. The joystick can be used for a multiple choice format (e.g., to select the kitten from four options, to match the mother cat). But the responsivity is slow. Each DVD contains six activities, some video footage and other CGI animation. For example, "Baby Cam" is a stroller-eye view of a walk in a park. Children hear a sound (like a duck) and then are asked to choose what they see. Videos can be played in four languages (English, Spanish, French and German). The $40 kit includes one sample disc with 3 learning games. Additional titles cost $18. The educational benefits on the packaging ("Babies Learn and Grow!") must be taken in the context of the developmental level of babies and toddlers, who are mesmerized by well-crafted footage but lack the ability to link button presses with on-screen events. The five DVDs contain a variety of things babies find fascinating, like ducklings, puppet shows, trains, other babies and funny scampering lizards. Compared to true, responsive interactive experiences, this is a state-of-the-art bad idea; on par with other interactive DVDs that have a sluggish pause between the button press and the DVD response.
$4018, TV-based game, Little Leaps Grow-With-Me Learning System, Interactive DVD
Teaches: early learning, language, (English, Spanish, French and German)
CTR Rating: 76%