Review of LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game Pet Pals

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With the digital pet craze for the past several years (and still growing) it was just a matter of time for LeapFrog to develop something to tap into it.

I just purchased the Pet Pals game for my 3.5 year old son, who has had a Leapster since his 3rd birthday.

The game begins by having the player choose one of three dogs and then naming the dog they chose instead of entering the player's name like in other Leapster games. Pet Pals then takes you to a virtual home with an entry area, a living area and a kitchen. Each room has things to click on (leash, wall picture, couch pillow, etc.) to play games. There are numerous amounts of games to choose from, some of which offer different levels. You earn "love" points for playing the games and you also earn coins that are stored in a piggy bank which you can spend at a store to buy food, shampoo, treats and clothing.

My son's current favorite games are the letter-writing practice (which is similar to the Mr. Pencil's letter-writing game, but is slightly less sensitive and less frustrating), the dog-walking (which has levels and depending on the level, for example, asks the player to walk the dog down streets collecting all the capital letters), and the tricks game (which has the player follow a series of instructions three times in order to teach their dog a particular trick). There are many more games to choose from such as dog washing, toss-and-catch, dress your dog and others. Playing all of these games ultimately leads to the player choosing the "dog show" game, where most of the other games are done collectively in order for the player's dog to win the dog show.

Now, with all of this going on, there is still the "virtual pet" part of the game where the player needs to care for their pet. The dog needs to be fed, watered, scratched, taken for walks (leads to dog-walking game), etc. The player needs to respond to his dog's needs in order to gain more love points. I read in the instructions that the player can loose love points for not taking care of their pet, but I have not paid attention to see how this happens.

This is probably my favorite Leapster game so far (out of all the Pre-K games) and seems to hold my son's interest much longer than any of the others ever have, even when they were brand-new. It has so many different game choices that will keep a player's attention for long periods and the idea of taking care of their own virtual pet (even though we have two real live ones) is it's own attraction to the game.

I HAVE ONE HUGE COMPLAINT! At the beginning, the player earns their dog an adoption certificate by following just a few care instructions for their pet. Pet Pals tells the player to go to to enter the secret code to print out their dog's adoption certificate. The problem is that LeapFrog has not yet (as of July '07) updated their LeapsterWorld website with the Pet Pals game. When you go into the Secret Codes section on the website, Pet Pals is not yet available to choose from for code entering. I have sent LeapFrog an email a few days ago and have not received a response. I would think that an educational toy company such as LeapFrog would have updated their website appropriately to correspond with the release of a game. My son is very dissapointed that he cannot print out his dog's adoption certificate. I guess I'll have to design my own for him until LeapFrog takes care of this, which I have no doubt they will.

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My boys (3 and 4.5 years old) have had their Leapster for 6 months. They liked playing with the original software that came installed (especially Color Corral), and the Cars cartridge that they received with the Leapster.

However, after I bought them the Pet Pals cartridge, it is like a whole new fascination with the system. They absolutely love taking care of their puppies and keep careful track of their "Puppy Points" and dollars earned. The puppy rewards them for "taking care of it", but you can also win money by getting coins during a bonus round after you walk it (by identifying letters and words), and by playing frisbee with your dog (identifying numbers and later answers to addition problems).

I agree with the previous reviewer that there are so many options that it is hard for the kids to get bored of this game. Plus, the collection of puppy points is a big motivator. Before playing this, my four-year old resisted writing activities. But, with this game, the writing is disguised as "teaching your dog to walk letters", and he is much more confident in writing.

We had the same problem printing out the adoption certificate, but a couple of week ago, LeapFrog fixed this problem. My boys now have their adoption certificates proudly hanging on their wall.

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I just bought my 4-year-old the Leapster for Christmas and with it I got this game Pet Pals. It was his favorite game and still is! He is allergic to dogs so now he calls this his virtual dog! He even picked out the dog he wanted himself (there are like 3 different dogs to choose from) and he named it. He loves using the pen to take the dog to different rooms, play the mini games, take the dog for walks, and wash the dog clean. He also really loves playing the dress up game.

He has had no trouble playing this game on his own. We have never had to help him and he feels like he is a very big boy because he can work it himself. He even wants to take the Leapster to bed with him with this game inside it!

Honest reviews on LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game Pet Pals

Of all the Leapster cartridges, this one is one of my children's favorites. It has probably gotten the most playtime between my 6yo and 4yo.

UPDATE:

This has got to be one of my children's all time favorite Leapster games. We've had it for about two years or so. My 5 and 7 year olds still play it, though the 7 year old is outgrowing it and moving on to Didj. They never get bored of it.

I will detail the game play below but as a quick summary, it teaches the following skills:

letter and recognition (walk the dog)

counting (pet the dog, costume contest, trick time)

addition (play and fetch competition)

reading (walk the dog)

writing (letter walk)

fine motor skills (trick time, letter walk)

how to following instructions (wash the dog)

I recommend the game for preschoolers, but young elementary students will enjoy it, as well.

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ENTRYWAY:

Doggie Dress-up: Exactly as it says. The child may choose different shoes, hats, glasses, shirts, pants for their dog.

Shopping: Using doggie dollars collected during the game, shop for supplies or clothing.

Dog Show: Four rounds of competition using games the child has learned: wash dog, costume contest, tricks, letter walk (child writes letters by tracing lines).

Walk the Dog: Take the dog for a walk to let it go to the bathroom. Level 1: Find a letter amongst the letters and numbers scattered in the street. Blast the numbers out of the way with a bark. Level 2: The player is instructed to walk to either the capital or lower case letter on the street. Level 3: Walk to the correct three letter word on the street.

Trick Time: Choose a trick. To perform the trick, tap the dog's head the required number of times. Then, trace the pen from the green dot to the red dot. Teaches counting and fine motor skills.

KITCHEN:

Bath Time: Use the shower head, shampoo and towel in the correct order to wash the dog. Teaches kids to remember a series of instructions. This process takes longer than I have patience for, but the kids don't mind it at all.

Sometimes, the child must feed the dog or give it water or pet it a required number of times.

LIVING ROOM:

Play and Fetch Competition: Throw the frisbee to the number that is announced. Level 1: features single digit numbers. Level 2: features two digit numbers. Level 3: features addition of single digit numbers.

Letter Walk: Trace the lines from the green dot to the red dot to form letters.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game Pet Pals

100% Fun and Entertainment. The learning I haven't seen too much although it does teach responsibility for your pet caring. I have also seen her writing Letters. It's a little like Dogs from DS but I find this super cute and more entertaining than the DS for Pets. Just like that game you get to put water for your dog, wash your pup, name him and all the basics of caring for your pet. She is 6yrs old and can't get enough so I imagine this would work for a child 3 to 8 years old. The song is catchy and she can't stop singing it. I had to give it 5 stars because she is sitting next to me screaming mom 5 stars!! I love it!! Ok so i guess nuff said. Very well worth the money. Thank you to everyone who placed reviews prior to X-mas because you guys were right!