LeapFrog Explorer Learning Game Mr. Pencil Saves Doodleburg (Works with LeapPad & Leapster Explorer)

My 4.5 yr old girl LOVES this game. She played it all the way through and we got the expansion. We got this on a super sale on Amazon, so that was even better (it was $8 I think). Good for reinforcing writing and other kindergarten skills.

My son will be 4 years old next week and we got him the leappad 2 explorer for xmas. I found Mr. Pencil as a cartridge on sale for $8 and it's been working fine. He loves this game and so do I. Up to now although he has mastered recognizing and reciting the alphabet, numbers and shapes since he was 2 years ol d he never wanted to practice drawing them. He's even had the leap frog trace & draw alphabet tablet (lights up the letters on an etchasketch type drawing space) for 2 years but would never draw the letters alone only with help This leappad & especially Mr. Pencil has him really eager to write like a big kid. If you or your child are more into fast action and tend to be impatient then this is not the game for you. Theres lots of story segments and lessons on drawing , animation, art concepts and colors. The tracing of lines requires patience and stylus control so it's more geared toward kids who don't get frustrated too easily. Others have said the game is unforgiving but I don't think so. Some of his lines are wiggly and imperfect. I think the game focuses more on the concept of staying in the lines to teach the overall structure required to make the shapes, letters and numbers. My son has learned that practice and patience is the key. It's really great to see how proud he is when the game praises him and I high five him for doing a good job. It has great activities to practice drawing shapes, letters & numbers. The characters are engaging and entertaining. There are options to play the game progressively or just practice writing & drawing. I read another review that said it didn't save the progress and started from the beginning everytime the child played. This only happens if you don't connect the leappad to the internet so you can update the game content. Be sure to set up the leappad by connecting it to your pc so your child gets the full experience & enjoyment of the game.

I brought this for my 3 year old daughter and it has been a brilliant buy. She has learnt to write several letters and shapes already after only a couple of months of use!The 'game' is really interesting for children as it allows them to select the area they want to play in. As a parent, I love the fact that she thinks she is playing, but actually she is learning valuable lessons in english. She has recently started nursery and her teachers were impressed that she could hold a pencil correctly and had really good pencil control. I put majority of this down to this game. On the leappad there is a facility where you can track your childs progress.As this is the most played with cartridge the tracking relates in majority to this game. As I said she is not 4 until another 2 months, but is pitched at age 5-6 on the tracking system! I think this is a great application and have already recommended it to a few friends, who have or are going to buy it for their children too.

Good product.

Exactly as described and arrived on time.