Customer Reviews

LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game: Wolverine and the X-Men (works with LeapPad & Leapster Explorer)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

My son is only four but loves the comic book heroes so I went ahead and got this game for him. He loves it! He started out finding the letter they would ask for and now he can spell many of the words. I like that it will ask him to spell a word and then for each letter of the word will give him four letter choices. So it says spell "bat" and the first group of letters will be t, j, b, g and he will select b. Then it will give him four more letters... this breaks it down for him. It also gives him a few tries so even if he's guessing he's got a shot at spelling it. He has a hard time distinguishing between the capital and lowercase letters but overall he enjoys the fighting and exploration and I am pleasantly surprised with how well he is doing. Parents can also customize the spelling list by connecting to the leapster website (I haven't tried this yet but intend too). I would definetely recommend this game to other comic book fans that want to "fight the bad guys" :)

My son really seemed frustrated that he kept getting "killed" before he can even spell any words. It's very violent for the recommended age. For kids who have only watched Nick Jr. and were not exposed to violent video games or movies this is really disturbing. He frequently asks me if I can go back to putting his weekly spelling words on the Didj Sonic Hedgehog game instead since it always helped him get ready for spelling tests. Leapfrog needs a better spelling game for boys. This isn't what you would expect from them.

My 5 yr old son is one of those rough and tough sweet cowboys. He loves action games but we have a rule... nothing with blood. This is great because he still gets to fight the bad guys, but they just disappear with no gore or screaming. He is very active in tennis and competitive swim with a small attention span. This game holds his attention unlike the Toy Story game (surprising since he loves Woody). As far as learning goes, my son has a severe speech delay that has affected his learning. He goes to a special preschool with other gifted youngster. This game has made him enjoy spelling!!! He already knew his letter which helped and now he understands that when put together they mean something. I carry a little notepad in my purse and he even loves spelling the words on paper now. Having been through multiple therapy programs with my son, I am so impressed by what he was able to learn from a GAME. When he comes up to me and is so excited to show his mommy the MANY spelling words he knows, I want to cry for joy.

I have two problems with this game: first, the violence. For the child to advance in gaming mode, ALL of the humans must be killed. I tried to avoid fighting, but I could not go to the next screen as one can with the Star Wars game. This to me is unacceptable as children should learn that avoiding a fight is always an option. LeapFrog defends their choice by saying, "children never see blood" and "we stay true to the character." Well perhaps a homicidal, depressed character is not the appropriate choice for a LeapFrog game to begin with. Secondly, the spelling on easy mode is NOT easy. The first test my son got was to spell "laugh." I would not consider this a Kindergarten level word. REALLY regret not reading the reviews first. And I really regret giving in to my son's delighted reaction to the built-in LeapFrog advertising on the Explorer. If these issue both you as well, please learn from my mistakes. Run away from this product.

Shame on me for not researching this game better, but all the Leapfrog games we have ever had have been so good, and non violent that I trusted them. This game is terribly violent. I don't let my children watch shows like this, and I certainly don't want them to play games where they hurt and kill others. Shame on you Leapfrog, this game is meant for ages 5+...this are sensitive little souls! Educational does not have to be graphic.

We have been very happy with the leapster Explorer we got last summer to replace our then 5 year old's Leapster. Most of the games have been great and engaging. This one however is flawed with how it plays the basics-jumping can be quite difficult and frustrating. Even when I try and help him through an area, even I find it difficult-and I am from the gameboy generation-trust me, I know how to play video game! Because of this flaw, my son hardly plays this game. He spends much more playing e Ben 10 and Mr Pencil Saves Doodleberg.

I bought this game for my nephew to use with his Leapster, he loves it and plays it almost every day. The great thing about it is that it combines the learning and the game itself well.

I got this for my son when I saw that it was a word building game for 5+ year olds. My son is learning word building in Kindergarten and this game really helps him enhance those reading skills. I love listening to him play it as he sounds out all the letter sounds to form words on his own. When he got to the 4 letter words that have the silent "e" endings, he hesitated a little and needed my help, but he got the hang of it quickly. I wasn't sure if this was going to be a good game based on other reviews, but my I think it's a great game. It is better game for the older kids.

Have a few of the leapster games and this one is the most disappointing. Like the review mentioned above, you have to go through checkpoints for learning to actually take place (which children can just avoid). Its a game for 5- 9 yo and they ask you to find the letter "l" !!! Really? come on, a 5 year old knows what an "L" looks like. Right now I actually want to throw it in the trash, but since he earns video games in exchange for good behavior, I won't. Leapster should actually be disappointed with this one! What a waste of money.

This game is so much fun for my 5 year old. His spelling has improved drastically. A few jumps are hard for him to make, but I make the jump for him, however he immediately grabs the game back from me because he wants to do the rest! Especially if I come to a spelling check point! He loves spelling now, more than ever. The more you play and the more words you spell right the harder the spelling words are. It's awesome!! Yes there is fighting in the game, but come on people....you are buying a game where the main character has blades coming out of his hands.....what did you expect??? That he would be picking flowers??? Anyway, as with any game your child plays, you should supervise your child and make sure they go to all the check points. There are a ton of them and that's where the learning and spelling takes place. The child can choose to walk past some check points, but some are mandatory. If you don't pass a check point you're character has to start at the beginning each time. Explain this to your child and they won't pass up any check points. My kid hits them all and now he loves it. As I stated earlier....the more words he spells right the harder the spelling gets. It starts easy. Enjoy!!