LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game: Mr. Pencil's Learn to Draw and Write Reviews

• Mr Pencil has so much fun to offer!

  
  By A20Z6ZF7SJJHYA on 2004-04-22
  While the other reviewer are right that the pen is a little sensitive, there are so many other great things about this game that I would still gladly give it 5 stars. My 3 year old actually loves mixing the colors and seeing what colors mix to make what, and then painting with the colors. She likes using the stamps and changing their size and rotating them. She like the color drop game where you have to pick the right 2 colors you need to mix a secondary color, and the maze game where you have to make it through the maze without touching the lines. My seven year old loves to paint pictures on it, and she love the learn how to draw animals and objects. She likes how you can save your artwork till later so she can pick up and work more on a picture, or animation. She likes the game what picture is it, where they start to draw a picture and you have to figure out which of the pictures at the bottom is the one they are drawing and see how many you can guess in the time frame. My son who is 10 even likes it. He thinks the maze game is cool, and he likes doing animation/flip books on it. This is a great cartridge and so many kids of so many ages love it. It even has cool things to learn about shading objects, making fun looking alphabet letters, lessons in color mixing and so much more. If you are buying it for just the learning to do letters with your young toddler, then you need to know that the first few times you have to be prepared to sit down with them and draw with them, because they just don't have that steady of hand, but don't ever disqualify this one because of that, it has way too many other things to offer. I even think it has more on that cartridge to do then any of the other cartridges, plus it's fun for all ages.
  
  

• frustrating

  
  By A26Z7GA1PVNI8J on 2004-01-03
  This game can be frustrating and annoying.I purchased this game for my 6 year old,she is often annoyed by Mr. Pencils comments.He is a character who is supposed to help,but he interuptes when slight mistakes are made...not very encouraging.The double doodle activity is double frusration,after every line you draw Mr.Pencil is supposed to duplicate it on another part of the screen ,but he draws the lines all over the screen sometimes on top of the picture your trying to draw,this makes my kid nuts!I thought this game would have more art tools for creative work,the cartridge that comes with the leapster has cooler special effects then this.All that said,this game is educational teaching pencil control,color,helping kids draw through tracing and copying.It's OK.....Could have been better.
  
  

• Very educational, but can be a little frustrating

  
  By on 2003-12-31
  I bought this game along with others for my nearly 5 daughter on Christmas and I would consider this game as more challanging than the others. For one thing this game can be a Task master! On the drawing lessons, it gives you drawings to trace and instructions. It expects you to pretty much stay close to the line and to continue until you reach the red dot or you must start the line over. My daughter asked me for help on some of the more challanging lines and this isn't that easy on some! On the maze games you can't touch the maze lines or you must start over. Having to start over in the middle when you've tried so hard can be very discouraging and frustrating, and my daughter has put down this game to play instead with the Dora the Explorer cartridge!

  On the plus side this game is extremely educational. My daughter was definitely learning better control with the pencil, and color theory. I think she'll have an easier time with the more challanging drawings when she's older. The one thing I wish the game did though was to be a little more encouraging and to allow the child to finish the drawing, then tell them to try again, instead of interupting when an error is made, which can be discouraging.
  
  

• Forget about it!

  
  By A1GWQ5UOJ7VKVE on 2005-07-13
  I gotta echo the review by "frustrating" -- my daughter LOVES her Leapster but dumped this cartridge early on after several frustrating attempts. She was excited to practice her letters, but the game requires the child to draw precise lines that match the on-screen template and also to use prescribed line strokes following little arrows on each letter -- e.g., when drawing the two "humps" on a letter "B" if the child picks up the pen between the "humps" it won't accept the letter. Come on. Pretty discouraging when the game rejects every letter your 5-year old tries to draw along with little annoying comments for each try. If your child has mastered drawing upper and lower case letters why would they want to play this game and if they are still learning they don't draw precise even lines. The rest of the game didn't go much better. And echo the problems others had with the drawing functions. Other Leapster cartridges like Dora and Kindergarten were big hits and are played endlessly, but don't expect much from this one.
  
  

• AMAZING!

  
  By A10566TEP2SO6I on 2004-10-30
  Wow! This is one of the best cartridges I have seen for the Leapster! My little boy is getting a Leapster for Christmas and some games. I just purchased this cartridge yesterday and decided to try it out to see what I thought of it. I like to look at all the things before my son gets them this way I know what to do to help him.
  This cartridge simply amazed me. It has so many things on one cartridge! I had read reviews of Mr. Pencil being critical- I can't say he won't be with a young child because my little boy has'nt played this yet, but there is so many activities on this cartridge that I am not too worried about that yet.
  This cartridge teaches the primary and secondary colors, it has a game called color drop where you have to mix the right two colors together to get the right color they are wanting to you to paint with, it has mazes, you trace over uppercase and lower cases alaphabet, numbers, shapes and pictures. There is a game called Mr. Doodle and whatever you draw then Mr. Pencil will copy- so cute! There is a coloring book mode with lots and lots of pictures to color, a blank page where you can add stamps, doodle, write. There is an anamation game where you draw several pictures and it will put them together quickly and it looks like its moving. That was really neat. You can do a bouncy ball or a man walking or a flower blooming and lots more. It teaches you about depth and how to draw things in 3d. There is EVEN MORE! I was just mind boggled at everything on this Leapster Cartridge and I give it 5 stars!
  Your child will learn lots of great things with Mr. Pencil Learn and Draw and even though he may be critical over tracing the letters, numbers and shapes game, there is tons of other things your child can do and learn from.
  I suggest this game for anyone!
  
  
• Fun and Educational
  By AYTA3M9GI0ZPT on 2004-01-06
  We bought this game for our 5yr old after she got a Leapster for Christmas. I thought it would be a good choice as she has just started Kindergarten this year and has to learn to write, as she put it "perfect" (very frustrating). She also really enjoyed the drawing program on Leapster's original game, so I figured this would be the best of both worlds. When it came, of course I had to test it out, and was instantly annoyed by the task master "Mr. Pencil". If my daughter thought that parochial school teachers were tough, she had another thing coming. I was a bit concerned that she would be put off by his "perfectionism". Stray but a bit off the chosen path and you are sent back to the beginning, and DON'T DREAM of lifting your pencil on a line that he has deemed should be drawn in one stroke! But much to my surprise, she rose to the challenge. She enjoyed "Mr. Pencil"'s silly interpretations of her drawings on Double Doodle, and has spent countless hours with the Flip Book program. The maze section was moderately frustrating (mostly because her first attempts were made on a long, bumpy car ride), and she hasn't spent as much time practicing her letters and numbers as I had hoped (why do "work" when there are other fun things to do". My only complaint is the same I have with the few other games I have bought. Instead of doing a few things well, the manufaturer settles for doing many things "okay".After playing many of the games you can imaginge how they could have been better if they hadn't wasted memory on games like "Paint Drop" or "Picture Challenge" or the coloring book feature which could have been incorporated into the doodle feature. All told though, my daughter does love it and it does have some eduacational value teaching basic color theory and some perspective (which is a bit beyond her intrest at 5yrs old, and I think it is definitely worth the money.
  
  
• Finally a fun way to practice her skills!!!
  By A13IMA2VKJEFIO on 2004-10-14
  Where was Mr. Pencil when I was a child? I bought this cartridge for my four year old daughter who has been practicing writing her letters for about a year now. I have bought her many different kinds of practice books and writing paper only to find that she quickly tires of them. Mr. Pencil keeps her attention by making writing and drawing a fun interactive experience. She loves tracing her letters and numbers with Mr. Pencil. She finds it very easy to complete each task successfully. I feel the customers who have been having problems tracing the letters and numbers must have defective cartridges. I considered not buying Mr. Pencil because of the negative reviews stating the problems of the letter tracing program. I would just like to say I'm glad I purchased it. Mr. Pencil's Learn to Draw and Write is one of Leapster's best.
  
  
• The greatest thing since sliced bread
  By A38P78YJAOC0E4 on 2004-11-08
  First, I think the entire Leapster system is an awesome concept that is well designed. I have not been disappointed yet in any software by the Leap folks.
  
  My five year old loves to use Microsoft Paint amd other such software. She also enjoys mazes, and was curious as to how cartoons are made. This little gem covers all of that and more.
  
  The art component is probably the best part of this software. Think of it as MagnaDoodle, only with color. It keeps my kid happy when waiting anywhere.
  
  Some have said that the package is a little exacting on the tracing of letters. I agree with that - another problem is that your school district may want DeNealean writing, which is a mutation of print into pre-cursive (I can't stand it). That is not covered in this package.
  
  The pluses are far more than the minuses - don't rely on this to teach your kid to write...it's good practice for that, but could be frustrating. It's worth the cost.
  
  
• Mr. Pencil is strict!
  By A2W3KTDOYLXSY9 on 2005-01-09
  My 4 year old son loves his leapster and enjoys playing Mr. Pencil. It can cause considerable frustration however. Mr. Pencil expects alot of accuracy when tracing lines. Perhaps more accuracy than the somewhat crude Leapster touch screen can really provide.
  
  We have found that adults have trouble meeting Mr. Pencil's standards at times. Try the Maze game for example...
  
  Don't get me wrong, the Leapster is a great toy, and Mr. Pencil is worth the money. I advise parents to help their kids to avoid the frustration that stops learning in it's tracks. I joke with my son that Mr. Pencil is a bit "cranky" about accuracy and that we need to try and keep him quiet. By making fun of Mr. Pencil a bit we avoid frustration.
  
  Nothing wrong with a challenge huh?
  
  
• #1 Leapster Game
  By A2U4QN7NESIFRB on 2006-11-03
  This is the #1 played game by my five year old son. We also like playing the maze games. However I'm not sure where the problem is coming from but the calibration is off. When I press the pen to the screen the line draws off to the left about 2-3mm. Quite annoying but I'm assuming it's the unit. Mr. Pencil is still a real fun game even with this slight annoyance.
  
  
• Very fustrating
  By on 2004-03-11
  We got this game for our 4 yr old and thought it would be great to help learn to write his letters. Wrong! It was very fustrating for him. Mr penicl expects prefection, even myself, my husband and my teen daughter had trouble pleasing Mr pencil.
  the lessons expect to much from kids especially when adults have trouble with it.
  The only part of the game that was nice was the doodling part. Was a waste of my [money]. I won't let my son play it anymore cause he ends up getting to upset.
  
  
• Very Frustrating!!
  By on 2004-03-12
  This cartridge is recommended for ages 4 and up but I found it extremely frustrating. My 4 year old is learning how to write his letters so I thought this would be a great learning tool. The problem is that the pen is so sensitive that if he does not put the correct amount of pressure on it while drawing, it doesn't allow him to finish. The idea is to "trace" the letters but if he is not absolutely exact, it tells him it's wrong. He was very discouraged. I would not recommend purchasing this cartridge unless your child already has a very steady hand and his writing is flawless.
  
  
• Excellent Leapster Mr. Pencil Learn to Draw and Write
  By A2UKT61KI6L496 on 2005-01-23
  Mr. Pencil is not strict to me. I watch my son do his lessons and he writes. If it is not neat enough (which he gives your child a decent amount of leeway. It doesn't have to be perfect, but your O can't look like a D. It is a very good learn to write. My son always ask for pencil and paper. I had this set to the side for my other son, I figured they both could use it. So i opened it up for him and loved the concept. My other son could use the same lesson as well. I love this and thankfully we have not had any calibrating problems. He uses it with ease. Anticipating buying my other son a leapster to get him started with this lesson. You won't be dissappointed. It is excellent pre-writing skills and art.
  
  UPDATE: 4/17/2007
  
  I have three leapsters in my home and I must say that 3 out of 4 of my boys use it (because my baby is only 1 :) ) I have an 8 year old a 6 year old and a four year old who use and benefit from using Mr. Pencil. My 6 year old had hand writing that was hard to understand when he was 3 and after one month of Mr. pencil had and big improvement. My 8 year old had to use it last year alot because of the not so neat writing. My 4 year old is just starting I will update later! I still think it is an excellent tool to have for your child. My 8 year old loves the drawing portion of the cartridge, he actually got a book on learn to draw and learned to appreciate it even more.
  
  
  
• Really can help learn to write!
  By AHOI3O82JDWHF on 2006-10-26
  Having been a fine arts student in my pre-parenting days, I'm wary of anything that says "Learn-To-Draw." And sure enough, this game came with the expected series of templates that kids can trace to "draw" pictures of a dog, a cat, etc. My initial reaction was, "No! Be free of the line! Draw whatever your heart desires, and therein lies the art!!!"
  
  What I didn't realize was that my four year old wasn't acquiring McArt lessons. Well, okay, he might have, to some degree. But what impressed me was that my son was learning *stylus control*. Through the tracing games as well as mazes of decreasing cell size, my son was able to improve his penmanship. Having owned this game for ten months, his handwriting is remarkably legible (though you might want to chalk this comment up to parent-tootin'-their-own-horn).
  
  If your child has the willingness to sit down and play with this game, you might notice improvement over pencil control as well! It's certainly more fun and interactive than tracing all those dotted-line handouts they get in school...
  
  
• Our favorite cartridge!
  By A3U6TGVM9D1QDA on 2004-04-30
  We bought the Leapster for our 4 1/2 year old son for christmas. I have nothing but positive things to say about it. Our son LOVES video games...borderline obsessive! We bought this because he had seen older kids with gameboys and was fascinated. I wanted something that kept his interest like the video games, but was educational. This is perfect! Now, upon saying that, we have Mr. Pencil cartridge, Dora and Spongebob. I asked my son which he liked the best, and he said he loves them all. I have to say that personally, Mr. Pencil is my favorite. It goes right along with what my son is learning at preschool...how to write his letters, both capitol and lowercase. I do agree that the pencil is sensitive, but I think it just forces the kids to go slowly and write the letters correctly. There are times that he has to retrace the letters, but he doesn't become frustrated, because Mr. Pencil is very encouraging. ("almost, try again!") I like that it draws the letter for you, then shows you the starting point for each line, and has an arrow for the direction to trace it. It's just like the preschool worksheets. It waits until they've drawn the first line, and then goes on to the next line of the letter. It's been a great tool. We also have a writing leap pad, and it just doesn't hold his interest like the leapster. We couldn't be happier! My 3 year old also loves to putter around on it as well, but the software is a little above his head still. Soon enough, I'm sure!
  
  
• Way TOO frustrating!!
  By A2QEG67U50NCKR on 2005-11-21
  The concept of this game is great! And there is great potential on the specific tasks to explore. However, I (an adult) got frustrated trying to use it. It's way too sensitive on exactly where your lines need to be to have your item considered correctly drawn, or too sensitive to be able to keep your line within the line to do the mazes. I really wish this was easier to use. What a great concept - it's unfortunate it's too frustrating to use!
  
  
• Mr. Pencil - very problamatic
  By A3AZB0J97UQL6Z on 2004-05-07
  I have a 5,3,2 year old. We bought leapster for the oldest and realized the others would benefit too. So we bought each one their own module. We purchased all the cartridges. I highly recommend the leapster and its games. Very educational and fun. However, Mr.Pencil is very frustrating. I thought it was due to lack of skill for the kids, but even I and my wife could not make MrPencil happy. I took my time and tried my hardest and could not do well. Very disappointing for the kids that are learning, because when they are actually doing it right, they recieve no credit from Mr. Pencil. Anyways. we love Leapster and want new games.
  
  
• Fun , but.............
  By A1KQYQ9WN41SJC on 2004-02-24
  This program can be very fun, But when you get to the Lessons where your child can practice writing numbers and letters it can be very Tormenting..... I have tried writing the number3 countless times and have yet to please Mr Pencil.

  Could be a bit discouraging for a child...

  The other areas are pretty fun But I think they could have added a bit more to the whole program......more coloring pages, stamps, ect....
  
  

• Fun, Fun, Fun
  By A326RFTKA7D5QZ on 2004-07-22
  I just purchased this toy for my 5 year old daughter. When I first brought it home she quickly looked at it and said "I am too old for this." Once she really got started I couldn't get her to quit playing with it for days. She is truly mesmerized and now says there are a few things that "she still needs to learn."
  
  She does not have any problem with Mr. Pencil's so called perfectionism. She seems to strive to do better. She has spent hours with this cartridge. We love this cartridge as it seems to teach abstract and concrete ideas very well. We especially love the flip pages.
  
  Having said that we do have one comment. When using the doodle page the user can stamp canned art such as lady bugs, flowers, bees,and other shapes on their art project. These stamps are not available when making the flip pages (The flip pages are like an animated movie). It would be a nice addition if the Leapfrog designers would have included the stamp function in the flip pages so that users could use canned art to make their animations.
  
  All in all this is a great product.
  
  
• Wonderful!
  By A22XA6U8Q5Q82X on 2005-08-26
  I bought this for my 5 year old to help him with his letters, since he is starting school this year, and I can already tell a difference. This game has taught him the correct way to make his letters. Mr. Pencil is great at giving postive feedback, and although he may sometimes tell you to try again later, my son is always up to the challenge. What a fun way for you child to practice his writing. Also, my 3 1/2 year old loves playing the doodling and drawing activities. This is a must have for your leapster collection.
  
  
• Wonderful Fun!
  By ABBJ51HPLCF9M on 2005-01-29
  I bought this for my 5 year old daughter as she loves playing with her Leapster and she also loves to draw. What a combination! She loves the mazes and especially loves the Double Doodle, where she draws a picture and Mr. Pencil mimicks her drawing. I find it very educational and extrememly entertaining to any children who love to draw. Also, I haven't heard her complain once about having to try a little harder and I don't mind Mr. Pencil being a little strict with her either. I highly recommend this game.
  
  
• I love Mr.Pencil
  By on 2006-03-28
  Mr.Pencil's Draw and Write is a great game.My favorite game in Mr.Pencil is the Maze Game.This game gave me tons of handwriting skill and taught me how to draw.This a great game for a seven and a half year old like me.So if you like making colors and drawing.Buy Mr.Pencil"s Draw and Write today!
  
  
• My almost 4 year old is in love with it.
  By A3VN1MTKOQVYUC on 2006-11-15
  This amazing game/learning tool is frustrating in the beginning, however, it teaches your child how to be more accurate in his or her writing. my son isn't the brightest crayon in the box nor the quickest, but he has excelled with this game. He volentarily writes his abc's on his magnet drawing toy in the car after this game. his drawing has become more elaborate, and his comprehension of instruction has excelled. He can navigate through the menus easily and the options throughout keep him totally entertained. I highly reccomend this toy.
  
  
• This game is wonderful, as long as you have the patience...
  By A1K0SU4AOCPJVG on 2004-03-06
  This game is wonderful, as long as you have the patience to sit down with your child and explain the different activities. I found Mister Pencil pretty resonable when it came to allowing my daughter to trace off the lines. The only challenge was not lifting the pen off the screen when she was making the B or O. Once she learned how to do that, she was pretty good with it.

  I love the leapster and my daughter is addicted to it. She has learned so much in such little time. I try to sit down with her for 10-60 min a day and then I let her do what she wants to do and she has progressed with very little effort on my part. The leapster will guide you and your child through the lesson, you just need to be there to reinforce lessons at times. You will be amazed. Lately the routine has been, we play a game or two before bedtime, we do this on my busy days. You will be surprised at what a little bit of time with your child will do.
  
  

• Absolutely wonderful
  By A1HRFQMYOCXQS5 on 2004-05-15
  I have 5 year old twins who received this leapster toy for Christmas. They have since received many of the cartridges appropriate for their age group. They have learned an awful lot from all the leapster games. My son went from spelling simple words and not really reading very well to now reading 5-6 letter words. Not just this cartridge but the Kindergarten and some of the other game cartridges have helped with my kids' reading level. I felt really good about spending the money on the leapster and have not regretted it in the least. It is well worth the money and new cartrideges are becoming available all the time
  
  
• Perfect For Preschool to 1st Grade
  By A3RNYOTAEUHBVL on 2004-10-10
  I was having a little trouble keeping my oldest interested in practicing her letters. When I bought this item things turned around quickly. Not only for letters but writing her writing skill, coloring and understanding of primary and secondary colors was acheived. If you don't like your kid playing mind numbing games but want them to have some fun. This is it!
  
  
• Hooray for Leapster ( and learn to calibrate your unit)
  By A3BPCE774U7PQ3 on 2004-12-07
  My kindergartner received his Leapster for his 5th birthday and it has been wonderful. Mr.Pencil has been one of his favorites as he loves to color and draw. BUT I love it because, as his class at school adds new letters to their writing skills, he can "play" and practice at the same time.
  
  As to some of the complaints about the lines being "off" from where the stylus traces, it is important to read and follow the instructions for calibrating your unit. Surely my child isn't the only one who is not always delicate with his Leapster, but if it gets off, I just follow in calibration instructions and we're back in the game!
  
  
• Loves to Draw
  By A1WWIPMAM34WC1 on 2004-11-04
  My granddaughter who is 5 has the Leapster and she loves it! She loves Mr. Pencil, learn to draw. She uses it quite a bit along with her other Leapster games.
  
  
• Love this game!
  By A2IUFSAXY4388C on 2005-02-09
  As the mother of a 5-year old who has difficulty with small motor skills, I absolutely love this game. Yes, sometimes the game doesn't allow for the human factor in tracing a shape or a letter, but overall, I think this game is very beneficial for my son. I would certainly buy it again.
  
  
• Mr. Pencil won't let you write!
  By AXVKMYWNIHK7W on 2004-10-07
  I got this for my five year old, and she loves it. She gets so frustrated with it though. Mr. Pencil won't give you a break, he wants to make you write absolutely perfect. If you don't trace something exactly like it says, even just a hair line away, it makes you start all over. I hear my daughter yelling at her Leapster when she has to start over and over on the mazes. She usually just gives up and puts it away. Too bad they are so particular about being right on their lines. This would be a great cartridge, but it is very frustrating. Even my six year old gets mad using this one.
  
  

• LeapFrog Leapster® Educational Game: Kindergarten
• LeapFrog Leapster® Educational Video: The Letter Factory
• LeapFrog Leapster Math Baseball Software
• LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game: Disney Princess
• LeapFrog Leapster Educational Game: The Incredibles

• LeapFrog Leapster® Educational Game: Kindergarten
• LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game System - Green
• LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System - Pink
• LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game: Disney Princess
• LeapFrog® Leapster® Learning Game: Cars