Toy Review: Spider-Man Spider-Smart Learning Laptop

Manufacturer: KidDesigns
Price: $39.99 at Toys R Us (Currently Out of Stock), $89.77 at Amazon

These days if a toy is listed as being for four years old and up, chances are if it is suitable for a boy then I have my eye on it. Originally, the Spiderman Spider Smart Learning Laptop missed my radar, though once it was brought to my attention I couldn’t wait to learn more about it. This is an excellent, educational toy for kids between the ages of about four and twelve. I have heard of some slightly older kids using and enjoying this, but I think that the teenage crowd picking this up on their own accord would be a rare occurrence.

Spiderman fans will certainly enjoy this. The main part of the case is blue with an embossed Spiderman mask in the middle of it that pops out on its own. The rest of the case offers some of the classic red and white webbing that has become associated with Spiderman. I was not sure if Lil B liked Spiderman or not, but I had a hunch he might like this toy.

Kids have a way of warming up to those technology based presents and laptop simulation toys are about as cool as they can get when you are Lil B’s age. He immediately was excited about the idea of playing all of the different games, and I, as a parent, loved the idea that he would play with something that was not only fun, but that would also teach him some valuable lessons.

Positives & Negatives:

Positives:
Excellent Learning tool
Offers nearly 50 activities including hangman, word jumble, and other games
Teaches numbers, letters, school subjects
SMART Chip technology included that allows the quizzes to become more challenging as the children learn
Translate button changes English content to Spanish
Spiderman voice and sound effects included
Good for small and older children

Negatives:
Screen is Small
Resolution/Graphics could be better

Pricing & Availability:
With anything these days, price is a major factor. You can find this Spiderman Laptop for anywhere from $40 to $90 depending on where you purchase it. Naturally, $90 is bordering on absurd for a toy of this caliber. However, $40 is fairly reasonable for something like this. It’s durable, grows as your child grows, and will last through more than one child without a problem. This isn’t something that you will buy right off the bat for a general occasion, but it will be perfect for birthdays, holidays, and other special moments in a child’s life.

Requirements & Instructions:
The only thing you need to get this laptop going is four AA batteries and they are included when you purchase the laptop. With that in mind, you can pop this out of the box and get right to using it without a problem. The instructions vary from game to game, but all of them are pretty simple to understand, as long as you can follow basic instructions and use the general keyboard to play the games. Most children shouldn’t have any problem using this and considering the fact that it can continue to become more challenging as your child becomes comfortable with the levels is an added bonus, making this even more worth the purchase.

Durability:
The Spiderman Laptop is made of hard plastic. It’s not anything that is going to break without a fight. Lil B is relatively easy on his toys, but accidents do happen and he is a little boy. That being said, he hasn’t banged this up too much just yet. I don’t imagine that he will. Honestly it looks like this could take a tumble and you wouldn’t even notice.

Ease of Use:
There were moments when Lil B needed my help, though he is the minimum suggested age that was listed for this particular toy. Still, he only needed my help for a few minutes and then he was fine and using this toy mostly on his own. It quickly got to the point where if he needed my help it was about something that most children his age wouldn’t know anyway. Lil B was nice enough to let me play with him, though it was clear that he could have handled the majority of play on his own.

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
With 48 games and plenty of learning activities this will keep the majority of kids busy all day long if they are interested in toys like this. Lil B had fun playing the games and he liked the fact that he was playing with something that resembled a “big boy toy.” At four he is entirely too independent, so this type of thing is perfect for him. I was surprised to see how much he liked it because he’s such a pirates fan. Generally, anything that is not pirate related gets tossed aside rather quickly. He has played with this several times though and genuinely enjoys the time he spends with it.

I also had a good time playing with him. While I wouldn’t have any enjoyment playing with it on my own, with a child it can be quite fun. The screen could have been bigger and I think if it had been it would have upped the enjoyment level, but for what it’s worth it’s easy to see why he enjoys this as much as he does.

We tested this with some of Lil B’s friends and cousins and the results were the same every time. If there is a complaint it has to do with the size of the screen. Otherwise, the kids enjoyed playing the various games and testing their skills and knowledge on all of the basic school subjects. Just the fact that this Spiderman Laptop makes learning fun makes this worth the purchase.

Bottom Line:
Check the price before you buy this, but once you find it for a reasonable price I recommend picking a Spiderman Laptop up. It would be nice to see a newer model with a better screen, but if that doesn’t come along this still isn’t too bad. That being said, if your child has any sort of visual impairments you might want to skip this. My son has glasses and he did fine, but if his sight were worse this would have been a major problem for him. For everyone else, especially school aged children struggling in school, I highly recommend this.

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Written by Ashtyn Evans - Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.