A great quality fun educational toy (VTech Disney Princess Magic Wand Laptop)

Member Name: mumto3

Product:	VTech Disney Princess Magic Wand Laptop
Date:	17/11/08 (177 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to follow instructions and straightforward procedures

Disadvantages: None at all apart from the £30 price tag

I had decided that I wanted to get a laptop for my daughter's fourth birthday and as soon as I saw this Vtech Disney Princess Magic Wand Laptop I knew that this was the one.

I had seen the laptop in Argos for £29.99 but then I was lucky enough to find it in the Early Learning Centre also at £29.99. I am a member of the ELC birthday club and had a 20% discount voucher and so used this to purchase the laptop.

The laptop is in the standard Disney Princess pink colours. The base is a dark pink and the lift up top is a lighter pink. The laptop is oval shaped and the lid is shaped like a club. The laptop has a handle that can be folded up and down. On the top of the lid their is a raised blue crown and heart slippers and in the centre is a cameo style picture of Cinderella. There is also a small window in the lid and inside you can see the magic wand. When you lift the lid the underside is covered with pictures of Cinderella, her Fairy Godmother and some little creatures from the Cinderella film. In the centre is the small screen.

The bottom part of the laptop has a standard qwerty keyboard layout without any of the function keys or space bar. Above this are the on/off switch and the number keys. The letter keys are shaped like little hearts and the numbers are in the shape of stars. The magic wand is on a short wire and is held down by a clip. The mouse is a small blue oval with a 3D heart slipper in the top and there are two diamond shapes that have lights in them. There are other keys that can be used to change the play mode to find the answer and an enter key. At the bottom there is a small sliding clear diamond shape that can be moved over different pictures to choose any one of ten activities.

I hadn't seen the laptop apart from online or in the catalogue before I made my purchase and I was expecting it to be a bit flimsy and plastic looking. I was very pleasantly surprised at how solid the whole thing was including the handle and hinge. The whole thing is quite heavy even the top. When the top is closed it doesn't click shut but the weight of it and the strength of the hinge keep it closed. I was also pleased that the batteries required were 3 x AA as most toys seem to require the more expensive sizes. The batteries fit in a small section in the base that can be reached underneath the laptop. There is no screw holding this closed but so far my children have not managed to access the batteries by themselves (unlike some other toys that we have).

When you switch on the laptop you are greeted by the voice of Cinderella who says "Hello, I'm Cinderella, Shall we play a game?" You will then be told by another voice which game is selected by the slide at the bottom of the laptop. The instructions are then given at the start of each game and they are said in a slow clear voice and are easy to understand.

The ten activities available include:

Lovely Letters - In this game you are shown a grid of six letters, three capitals and three lower case, and you have to use your magic wand to touch the matching letters or you can use your mouse.

Missing Letters - In this game you are shown a word with one letter missing. The voice on the laptop tell you the word and then you have to find the letter that is missing from a selection shown at the bottom of the screen.

Picture Match - In this game you are told a word and then pictures slide past on the screen and you have to select the correct picture with your mouse.

Number Order - In this game you are shown three numbers and you are asked to put them in numerical order.

Magical Maths - In this game you are shown a mathematical equation with one number missing and asked to select the missing number using the number keys.

Choose a Shoe - In this game you are shown one shoe and different shoes then slide across the screen and you have to select the matching one when it appears.

Dress Up - In this game you have to choose an outfit for Cinderella to wear to the ball.

Pretty Puzzles - You are shown a picture than has been split into section and you have to rearrange the sections to complete the picture.

Charming Pairs - This game is like normal pairs that you play with cards. You are shown cards that are face down and you have to select two that you think match. You carry on playing until you have found all the pairs.

Music Time - You are shown a grid numbered 1 to 0 and asked to select a song. Behind each number is a piece of well known classical music.

The graphics on the laptop are very basic but there is always something showing in the screen like Cinderella Dancing with Prince Charming or various other moving images. There is also always a little tune playing all the time while you play and a voice that encourages you and repeats the instructions. Every action can be completed using the wand or mouse apart from when you are asked to use the number or letter keys.

My Daughter loves this laptop and has played with it more than any of the other toys she received for her birthday. I think the suggested age of 4+ is just right as a younger child would struggle with the word and number games. I have two younger children aged three and one and they both love this laptop as well although they do tend to play the pairs game or the Music Time activity.

Overall I was very impressed with the laptop and cannot think of anything wrong with it. I was worried about the strength of the wire attached to the wand but so far it has remained intact and shows no signs of straining. The whole thing is very strong and has taken a lot of bashing about and pulling back and forth. My son isn't bothered that is has princesses on it because he is used to seeing them around our home but I would definitely consider getting him maybe a Thomas the Tank engine or Wall.E laptop because this one has been so good. I think that even though it is nearly a year old this laptop is still in excellent condition and so far we have only had one set of batteries and it is played with all the time.

I would recommend this to anyone with a princess mad girl but I think that the standard of the Vtech laptops would follow throughout their entire range so any would give you the same quality and standards.

Summary: A great way to introduce numbers and letters that's fun for all