You want something a little more educational than a gameboy to give for the holidays?

Two excellent options are the Leapster by LeapFrog and The V-Smile by V-Tech.

There are pros and cons to either product and it seems like both companies are trying to one up the other.  But there are some key similarities and diffrences to consider. 

First let's look at the Leapster the original and more advertised of the two.   The Leap Frog name already has huge clout with the parenting community so pretty much anything with the Leap Frog name on it is blindly trusted.    I bought the original Leapster for my oldest when he was 6.  It was pretty easy for him to learn to use, however my 4 year old struggled a little bit learning to use the stylus.  We quickly invested in the recharging dock and save a fortune on batteries.   The selection of games has grown, and each game lasts quite a while before a child finishes with it.   The games are entertaining and the graphics were pretty good, my children loved it.  However within a few months we started having problems with the stylus not always working right, and then the game would keep shutting off even if it was charged.  By the time the system was a year old it quit working for more than a few minutes at a time.  

We opted for a V-Smile console for our younger children.  The game selection was limited at first but is now comparable to the Leapster.  We soon purchased the V-Smile Pocket and a dc adapter which works for both units.  The first pro for the vsmile of the leapster was the V-smile games were interchangable between units and the V-Smile Pocket can be connected to the TV.  However I found the V-Smile to be a little slower with lower quality graphics than the Leapster. The games are also shorter, good for younger kids with shorter attention spans, but older kids may get bored.  The games also have two levels and 1 or 2 players perfect if you have kids of diffrent ages.  But the controls on the V-Smile units are easier for younger kids to use, and can be switched for right or left handed use.  We also had some problems with the vtech cartridge, but they seem to work ok after blowing them out.

Next came the Leapster L-Max, to compete with V-Smile the L-Max also has tv hook-up capability and your old leap frog cartridges are compatible, but there are enhanced L-Max cartridges available as well.   Again you have to purchase the charging dock seperatly which costs anywhere from $15-$20 (vs $10 for the V-Smile adapter that works with both the console and the handheld units). 

Both VSmile and Leapster now have similar baby versions.  Leapster now has it's own TV console that uses a stylus to practice writing skills. But V-Smile has great add-ons for it's console lick a gym class mat and art studio.   V-Smile is also introducing the V-Smile Flash for older kids, a faster better graphic console that plays cdroms.

My review, both have great features and small drawbacks, for younger kids I would go with the V-tech V-smile it is easier for young kids and offers a lot more versatility to grow with.   However older kids may like the design of the Leapster.  Our v-smile holds up quite a bit better than the Leapster did.   I think both companies are going to try to keep their products one step-ahead of the other, but now it looks like Leap Frog has a little catching up to do!