The V-Smile Video Gaming System for Kids

Many parents may be wondering what all the hype behind this toy phenomenon is. As a mother to a pre-school child who will soon be celebrating his fourth birthday, and an owner of the system for over a year now; I thought I would share my opinions.

For those of you who haven't heard or aren't aware of what the system is, it's a video gaming system for children ages 3-7, providing only educational games. It connects directly to the television and offers many kid friendly features. My son has been able to operate the system by himself from the beginning, even down to changing the games. The games use characters that children know and love to entice them to learn as they play. There are many to choose from for both girls and boys, and are categorized by age appropriateness as well as by the skill they teach.

The system was purchased by my son's grandfather in Washington State and sent to me here in North Carolina as a Christmas gift for 2006. They got the pink one because it was the only one left in the store up there, so before giving it to my son I went to my local store and got the orange one for the boys.

The system came with a game called Alphabet Park, which I felt was geared more for the older children. After a few weeks of experimentation, however; my son was able to play through the game with little assistance from myself or my husband.

I purchased the Thomas the Train and Blue's Clues games to go along as additional Christmas presents that year. A year later, he's pretty bored with them, but they definitely helped to reinforce skills that he and I worked on during our preschool activities that we do each morning. Since I stay at home with him, I feel it's very important to at least mimic a preschool setting for a portion of the day so that he can learn schedule and routine.

Now he plays the Finding Nemo and Spiderman and Friends games, and seems to never tire of them. I can't wait to give him the Toy Story 2 game he asked for on his birthday. Each of those games continues to reinforce things we work on. The Spiderman game has even introduced him to simple math, which is something that I hadn't begun working with him on yet.

What I really like about the system is that each game will tell you the skills it teaches and it will graphically demonstrate the games it uses to do so, on the packaging. It makes it easier to decide which games to purchase for the child based on what you feel your child is ready to tackle. It grows with your child and his or her skill set for several years before they need more challenging material.

Since the debut of the system in 2006, they have introduced a newer version that includes a microphone and an upgraded controller that has a writing pad and a stylus. I'm disappointed by the fact that I cannot purchase the microphone, but at least I can get the upgraded controller.

There are also plenty of attachments you can purchase for the system. There is a gym mat that connects to the system and comes with a game that will encourage physical exercise. There's also an art studio that will show your child's art work on the screen and help them boost creativity. For older children, there's a keyboard and a game to teach keyboarding skills.

Now that you've read this far, let's talk about how much this stuff will set you back financially. I really don't think it's too bad, because it's all an investment in your child's education. The system itself can be purchased for about $50. It includes a game, and one controller. My advice to you, after learning the hard way, is to go ahead and spring another $30-$40 for the other one. It comes with two controllers, a power adapter and two games.

By the time you buy the cheaper start up system, the additional game and controller, and the power adapter, it would have been more effective to buy the more expensive one in the beginning. The controller runs about $15, the power adapter $10, (otherwise, be prepared to spend endless amounts of money on C batteries, as it takes 3) and games anywhere from $15-$20/each. The attachments I speak of run about $30 each.

Other than a few issues with the power adapter cord needing some wiggling to have the system stay on, I have experienced nothing but good with this toy, and I continue to purchase accessories for it. I love it, and highly recommend it for all parents and children. Trust me, it will give you some quiet time to take care of chores, or check email; and you can rest easy knowing that unlike a typical video game, your child is learning and having fun while doing it!

V-Tech sure had a great idea with this one, and I really wish I'd thought of it first!