I'm looking into them for DD for Christmas, but DS was not in the mood to let me do a good comparison at Target the other day.
She's currently really into writing and spelling, so reading isn't too far off - I think the LeapFrog Tag is good for that? However, I don't want to box her into something she'll outgrow in the next two years or that will limit her to just books (if I'm understanding it correctly). Maybe an all-purpose one that can grow with her (or be passed to DS) is better. I don't want something that'll cost a fortune to get new games for, but I don't want to go cheap and get something with really lame graphics and sounds that'll remind me of my Speak-n-Spell from 25 years go.
If your child has one they love - or have shown minimal interest in - please share. Thanks!
Re: Does your DC use a LeapFrog / Leapster / VTech type system?
We have the Leapster Explorer and are getting DD1 the Tag system for Christmas. The Exlorer is a handheld game system that is definitely more versatile than the Tag reader. It has games and you can download 'apps' that are smaller games or videos (like the LeapFrog Letter Factory) or books. The apps and games aren't cheap but the prices on Amazon are better than buying in Target. Maggie loves it and I really think it helped her learn her letters better than me doing puzzles or practicing writing with her. We have 4 games and it is more than enough to satisfy her.
We are getting the Tag reader (the explorer is about $60 and the reader about $40 but it usually goes on sale closer to Christmas). This is more geared toward reading and some of the books have games where they ask you find things etc. I really liked the maps you could with it in addition to the books - DD is very into asking what words are etc and this is something she can do in the car or during quiet time (her sister's nap time and my clean up time). I know people worry that it will replace parent's reading to them etc but as long as you use in addition to your daily reading time I think it can only help. She really liked her cousin's so I am hoping this is a hit for Christmas.