Customer Reviews

Mattel Dora Links Doll

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

I had read the reviews for Dora Links before my daughter got it as a gift. We went into it knowing there was a lot of frustration regarding the software. Well, that was definitely an understatement. Having never written a review, and knowing the holidays are coming up, I thought I'd add my opinions to the mix and maybe some helpful solutions to parents. My daughter who just turned 5 is enjoying the doll. Easy to dress, seems durable (tad heavy for a doll, but understandable), etc. Now that she can plug it into the computer, also seems to navigate the Dora world just fine. It is in spanish with sub titles that we've figured out so far, so if you have a non-reader, be prepared to help possibly.

The problem is the software. We spent hours trying to get the software to load etc. We then spent hours trying to download the software from the site. Then hours the next day talking to the company. Here is what we have found out and thought we would share for other parents. This is definitely a toy that I would strongly suggest getting the software downloaded and installed before your child receives the doll as it can be time consuming depending on their server and the traffic on it. The Dora Links server can busy. The disk that comes with the doll is in essence not really the software. It is a program that tells your computer to download the software from the website which is the constant 'content downloading' message you read about. If their server is busy, you may then spend two hours downloading (this is with a cable connection) just to have it drop on you all a sudden. It then does not pick back up from where it left off. The suggestion they finally gave us was to google for a free download manager software. This will allow it to continue to push at their server to download the software and then if it does drop, pick back up where it started. I would not use the disk at all as I've seen others have had issues with it. The 'download' on the website is the software you need and the most updated. Once we did this, it installed perfectly and worked great immediately.

Great toy, very frustrating to setup. If you're reading this, I'd strongly suggest you follow the above way for installing the software.

My daughter's just over 3, but she loves the new Dora! I like the way that the doll doesn't just interact with the on-screen world, but she seems to take the world with her when we disconnect her from the computer! I hate how most electronic toys say the same thing over and over and over--but this one is different. When you unplug her from the computer, she remembers the mystery that you just solved with her, and talks about it when you play away from the computer. It seems to encourage imaginative play AWAY from the computer--I love that--and the things the doll says are always changing. Big bonus.
It's fun connected to the computer too; there are tons of dressup games (DD loves those) and it's fun to change the jewelry, eyes and hair on the computer and then watch the doll change to match. We play the games and the mysteries together, but I'm sure older kids could do it alone.
Just one thing to be aware of--there is some "download" time you have to be ready for when you first install the software, so be ready to let your daughter play with the doll away from the computer for about 20 minutes or so while you get everything set up.

I'm also a professional software engineer, and wearing that hat, I'm disappointed with the installation experience. I successfully installed everything on my daughter's modest vista machine. The only word I can use to describe the experience is SLOW! The installation, and mysterious updates and `unpacking' steps took forever. I'd say you're looking at minimum and hour to get things going. More installation guidance, perhaps a README file on the CD-ROM would have been very welcome. I certainly think children's software should be held to a higher standard of quality.

As a parent, if we had tried to get things up and going with my daughter waiting excitedly it would have been a catastrophe! Luckily that was averted by getting everything setup the night before.

One issue we had was at the end of the initial tutorial there were no other mysteries to solve. This took a little while to figure out, and basically was getting out of the game entirely, restarting it, enduring another `update' and `unpack', and then 5 new mysteries were available.

The doll and the game work as advertised. There is definitely is a strong hook to encourage mom and dad to purchase other dolls and accessories as they unlock other parts of the Dora Links play world. It is a little disappointing when my daughter can't enter an error or play a game because it's locked. I'm not sure I'm a fan of this sales tactic using my daughter as the lever.

All that said, my daughter really loves this doll! And my wife and I are really glad we got it for her. She is very attached to it and can't wait to plug Dora in to her computer and change her appearance etc. The mysteries are right at the edge of her game play abilities, and we have to help her a little occasionally. If mom and dad set up everything first, and try it out first before they let the kids loose on it I think it can be a great gift for all involved.

There's a special reward in the afterlife for people that design toys that require software to be installed in computers, and then don't provide any type of support or help when it doesn't work.

I have a degree in computer science, I've tried installing the included Dora Links software on three computers, and it doesn't work on any of them. I guess I'll keep trying since my poor daughter is sooooo exctited about having this new doll (that she had been waiting weeks for) and desperately wants to play with it.

Thanks a lot Mattel!

The issues I have with this toy involve getting it set-up to play with. My husband was the one who wrestled with the packaging to get all of the pieces unattached from the cardboard backing, but having opened many Barbies myself I know how difficult this display oriented packaging is to work with.

Given the problems that many people seem to have had with the software, it makes sense to me to make sure you can download and install the software before you commit to purchasing the doll. If you go to the Dora Links website, on the bottom right you can click on download to start the excruciatingly long process. Once you have it downloaded, go ahead and install the program. This process is even longer than the download so don't expect to be able to see the bar actually moving on the status screen. Next you can go through the username and password set-up. When you get to the screen with a silouette of the unplugged doll at the bottom (between other button options), you are ready to plug her in.

Once we got to this point everything has gone swimmingly well. My daughter loves the toy and, I have to admit it is pretty cool!

My 5 year old daughter loves using the computer and loves Dora, so this doll seemed perfect for her. It definitely is! It works amazingly well, and she is having a blast with it.

The two things I found most frustrating were the packaging (this would be a great toy for the Amazon frustration-free option) and the length of the download and online installation. I thought the CD installation would be quick, given that it said it would be downloading files but it took almost 30 minutes to copy the files. The download ended up taking us overnight even though we have cable modem. It was very slow and got several errors along the way.

Once everything was setup, it has worked great.

Software troubles:

**Dora is not currently Mac compatible

**Not all of the software content is on the CD; most of the content is actually on the server and must be downloaded as an update.

Download the software from [...] rather than use the CD at all, use a download manager (free program available online) Even though your internet may be fast the server can be slow. A manager insures a complete download for the software. Also make sure to use the save as command rather than the run command when initially downloading.


If update download cancels or freezes (the Dora update with the blue loading bar)
Go to C:>program files>mattel>doralinks>downloadcache
In this folder delete any files with extension/type ".part" (the title will be something like contentCD's 1-6) These are the update downloads and if the update cancels or cuts out they can become corrupted. After deleting these files run Dora as administrator and it will start to update again.


FIREWALLS: MacAfee, Norton, AVG, Trendmicro, will prevent Dora software from updating properly. Make sure to pause them or to ad www.doralinks.com to the exceptions list. Also add www.doralinks.com to the windows firewall exceptions list.


Xp: make sure that you have service pack 3, if not go to the Microsoft website for an update.

Vista: make sure to always install the downloaded software as an administrator, when you get a Dora links icon on the desktop right click and run as administrator. (This allows the program to bypass firewalls and to install content.

Windows 7: make sure again to use online software rather than disc to install.


Issues with the doll: if the software asks for a secret code when the doll is plugged in that means the computer is not registering the doll as connected. Secrete codes are not needed for the USB Dora doll.

Don't connect the doll until the software gets its updates

Make sure to use the back USB ports if you are on a desktop. monitor and keyboard USB ports will not work.

You may reset the doll by holding the reset button down for a few seconds. The reset button is directly above the doll's USB port.

I agree with the other reviewers, the software is such a headache and I was about to give up. I took the advice of another reviewer and downloaded the software from the website on Christmas eve. It downloaded in about 3 minutes and I was impressed, thinking they must have noticed the problem and upgraded to better servers to handle the traffic.

However, once downloaded, I launched the installation and kept getting an NSIS error stating it was an invalid installation file. I was so confused, as I have downloaded it directly from the website. So I tried it again, still the same error. I gave up that night and decided to try again on Christmas morning.

Christmas morning my daughter was SO EXCITED about the doll and how the earrings and necklace lit up with bright colors. As soon as I removed the demo tag she stopped lighting up when her necklace was pressed. I figured you could re-enable these features in the game...which I could not get working. She was upset when it wouldn't light up anymore.

So I decided to try downloading the file again, I used internet explorer again and this time it took approximately 30 minutes to download. I'm guessing because there were a ton of other parents doing the same on Christmas morning. I told my daughter it was not working and I will try it again later. I googled for a solution everywhere for that NSIS error. I followed all the steps, made sure my firewall and anti-virus software was turned off, I renamed the installation file, I cleared the cache on my browser, I ran chkdsk on my hard drive. I then tried to install it two more times both with Internet Explorer and Firefox. It downloaded successfully each time but when I ran the installer it gave me the error message again. I also tried installing from the CD, but previous reviewers are correct, it does just download the software from the website...so I had the same problem even using the CD.

I was about to give up and bring it back to the store. At this point I had been trying several times that day and each time the download was slower and slower. Christmas day ended and my daughter had gone to bed, hardly playing with her new toy that was supposed to be her favorite.

I woke up early this morning (the day after Christmas) and was ready to return the doll today. I found a review that said the Mattel customer service recommended installing a download manager first. As a last resort, already preparing for it to fail again, I googled "free download manager" (it was the very first result) and decided to try again. I let it run and when it finished I launched the installation.

It worked!! I'm guessing the reason for the problem, is the servers you download the software from are so terrible...that it occasionally stops and starts again...possibly losing data in the process. I was never aware of this because no message appeared during the download. I have high-speed internet and a newer computer, so I'm confident it wasn't my own connection but the servers the software is located on. The download manager I installed from google will pick up exactly where you left off if the connection does suddenly stop even for a second.

So now the software is installed and I'm excited for my daughter to wake up and finally get a chance to play with dora. I created an account for her, which was very easy and fast. I clicked around in the game and still couldn't enable the necklace and earrings. There is a jewelry shop where you can purchase earrings and I'm guessing that's what you need to do. You start off at having $20 and get more money doing missions, at which point you can buy jewelry and stuff for your house, ect. I didn't really play around too much because I want my daughter to do it. I'll update this review when she gets a chance to play with it in-depth.

So, even though I got it working...I am still giving this a low-score because it is not our responsibility to get the software to work. When you pay for this doll it should work as expected. If I would have never seen that review about installing the download manager, I would be sending it back to the store today. I hope my review helps those who are in a similar situation, as this seems to be a huge issue that most people get.

I want to start by saying that I setup computers and computer based workflows for a living, I am very versed in windows, osx (mac), and Unix systems, if you think windows can frustrating try going between different versions of linux and unix! With that said, Mattel should be embarrassed to be putting out a software product such as this! When you can set up an entire computer from scratch faster than setting up a toy for a 6 year old, there is something wrong with your business model! The download process is slow! Updates are great and all, but don't lock the person out of the program while you are downloading updates, particularly out of the box! It was over an hour before we got to a point you could plug the doll up play! Obviously, the designers of this doll don't have kid's! "Dad is it ready yet?" "Mom, Dad is going to slow" "Dad, can't you make the internet faster?" Yes, it works, Yes, it is frustrating (mostly for the girls that want to play with their new doll). Doesn't seem like it will hold up for a long, but time will tell!

Mattel, I don't know who your marketing people are, but not making this doll for osx is not one of your smarter moves. Yes, Apple is only 6% of the market, but I think you would find it is more like 40% or more, when you are looking at the people that can afford to go out and spend 70 dollars on a doll for their kids. If you want to play in a higher end market it is a 2 platform world, Windows and OSX and then to limit yourself's to vista and XP, you have got to be kidding! Yes, I got it to work on my Windows 7 running in a Virtual Machine on my MAC but come on, this is not for the faint of heart.

With all of the negative reviews floating around out there, I feel compelled to report a positive experience. My 4 year old daughter got the Dora Links doll, the Puerto Verde School, and a few of the accessories for Christmas. Over one month later this doll is still getting played with on a daily basis. It has been a huge hit! I have to help my young daughter a bit with the mysteries, and it has been a fun activity to do together. The mysteries really are educational and teach my daughter how to listen and follow directions.

There are many reviewers who are complaining that most of Dora's world is locked unless you buy accessories. In our experience, this just hasn't been the case. I have been solving the mysteries with my daughter, and have found that we have been able to enter all of the buildings and play about 90% of the "locked" games and activities during our sleuthing. While people may want to purchase the Explorer Girls, Play Sets, and Clothing Packs to get instant access to the games, activities, and locked buildings, it isn't a must. For those who want the most bang for their buck I would recommend buying just the Dora Links doll and the Puerto Verde School, which unlocks 4 additional mysteries. Of the other accessories, the only two that seem to open something unique that we haven't come across so far in the mysteries are the puppy and boombox packs. My daughter loves the puppy! The secret code lets Dora's cute little dog, Cora follow her around town. The boombox pack is also fun as it allows Dora to purchase new tunes at the music store to play on the boombox in her room.

I also am happy to report that it is true that new mysteries are added on a regular basis. Since Christmas, there have been three new mysteries to solve. It seems like the new mysteries appear on the first of the month, so I am guessing there will be one new mystery to solve each month this year.