LeapPad: Leap 2 Reading - "Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle" Interactive Book and Cartridge

by Leap Pad

Product Features

• brand new

Product Details

• Item Weight: 9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B00005BPV6
• Manufacturer recommended age: 6 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,513 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Product Description

Editorial Review

Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle is part of LeapFrog’s range of interactive books designed to be used with their LeapPad learning system. The pack contains a spiral-bound book and a cartridge. Simply slot both the book and the cartridge into the appropriate areas on the LeapPad and you’re ready to start.

This particular title is recommended for children at stage 2 of the LeapPad library, which is children between 6 and 8 years old. The story itself features the popular cartoon character Scooby-Doo and his friends and is 55 pages (8 chapters) long--an ideal length for young readers starting to read by themselves. Viewers of the Scooby-Doo TV series won’t be surprised to learn that Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle closely follows the same story format. The gang is driving though a dark and stormy night (what else?) when the Mystery Machine gets a puncture. Going to the nearest house for help (which turns out to be the usual spooky Gothic mansion), the gang is invited to stay for supper by the owner, Clift Montgomery (like the actor Montgomery Clift--get it?). It turns out that Clift has recently agreed to donate the house to the local council as a museum. Their fellow dinner guests include various prominent local citizens who all have their objections to the plan. Clift’s sudden dramatic disappearance gives the gang a new mystery to solve, although as always Scooby requires bribery in the form of his favorite Scooby Snacks before he’ll join in. Naturally, when the villain is eventually unmasked, his parting riposte is, "I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for those kids and their pesky dog."

The LeapPad comes with a special touch-sensitive pen--follow the story by using it to touch the words on the page. The story is read aloud by a male American voice, which can sound rather stilted during the dialogue between characters, especially Shaggy and Scooby, who have their own distinctive styles of speaking. Touch the pictures of the main characters on the first page to identify them and learn a little fact about each of them, in the authentic voices from the TV series. (Who would have guessed that Shaggy’s real name is Norville "Shaggy" Rogers?) The music used throughout the story creates a suitably spooky ambience. To hear a short synopsis of each chapter, use the pen to touch the chapter heading. By touching the pictures throughout the story, you will hear some very amusing sound effects (the wobble noise and Velma’s trademark exclamation of "Jinkies!" are particularly notable). The story contains 120 vocabulary words designed to be slightly more challenging (such as mystery, nowhere and skidded)--these are highlighted throughout the text and repeated in a glossary at the end of the book. Touch any of the glossary words and the recorded voice pronounces it correctly and offers a short definition. Comprehension and memory are tested in the Haunted Castle Challenge game, where you’re asked questions about the story and use the pen to touch the picture of the appropriate answer.

Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle is an entertaining if slightly predictable tale designed to build reading confidence. Importantly, it also encourages children to think about the meaning of words in context and tests understanding of plot and characters. --Alison Drury

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars a very difficult "Leap 2" book, June 26, 2002

By 

"melaniebeasley" (saint joseph, MI United States) - See all my reviews

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: LeapPad: Leap 2 Reading - "Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle" Interactive Book and Cartridge (Toy)

This was very difficult for my 6-year-old to read. Not as much fun as some of the other books. Beware of the leap 2's marked "Chapter Book." It requires pointing at each individual word and listening to a somewhat monotone voice. If he could read at this level, he'd probably just pick up a book on his own and read it without the leap pad.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, April 9, 2002

By 

Jodi Lemacks (Richmond, Va United States) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: LeapPad: Leap 2 Reading - "Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle" Interactive Book and Cartridge (Toy)

I was very disappointed in this Leap Pad product compared to the others. As far as we can figure out, it won't read the story. The child has to point to the words one at a time. Also, it is seriously lacking in the games that the other Leap Pad books have... I would not recommend it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pros and Cons, September 11, 2005

By 

S. Allen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: LeapPad: Leap 2 Reading - "Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Castle" Interactive Book and Cartridge (Toy)

My 6 year old is reading at an early third grade level. I got this for her because I heard it was almost all words and I always encourage practicing. She thinks the book is so-so. She likes the story, but she reads it in bed without the help if the leap pad. It is so boring to point to the words and hear it read to you in a voice without emotion. It might be better for my younger daughter who is just learning to read...to see what each word looks and sounds like, but I think it would bore her after a few minutes. as there aren't as many games as the typical leap pad book.

Overall, a good story, but boring to have read to you by the leap pad. It all depends on the reading level of your child!