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Photograph courtesy of LeapFrog
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Tech TIME Archive
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By WILSON ROTHMAN
The approaching school year always brings excitement and anxiety, particularly if your student isn't exactly head of the class. LeapFrog, which has fast become one of the powerhouses of the learning-toy industry, has discovered numerous entertaining ways to help kids perform better in school. Its latest, the Mind Mania Math and Spelling clips, pack games and study tools in a cool-looking, rugged, palm-sized casing.
Designed to look like mountaineering gear, the device clips to backpack or belt, decreasing (slightly) the chance that a kid will lose it instantly. The navigation, using three buttons and a directional pad, will be familiar to any kid who has spent time around a Game Boy or video-game system.
The Math clip includes table drills (multiplication, division, etc.), a more-or-less test that weighs different equations, and two challenging math games. Most activities include three levels of difficulty, but even the lowest level isn't always a cakewalk (especially when someone is, shall we say, a bit rusty, as in my case).
The Spelling clip has familiar programs, such as a word scramble and a Hangman variant. It's also got a word list, essentially a deck of virtual flash cards complete with a random challenge mode. Remember to set the date and time, because this clip features a Word of the Day, which changes every morning.
The downside: you're probably going to want to find the mute setting before handing the clips over to your kid. Even at a low volume, the audio is fairly unpleasant. The graphics are rudimentary, leading to occasional difficulty locating multiple-choice answers. Also, the response of the directional pad and buttons is sometimes sluggish. But if the kid uses it for a week and then puts it aside, just remember this: together the cost of these educational toys adds up to the price of just one new-release Game Boy title.
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