RockIt Twist™

The LeapFrog Rockit Twist is a USB-powered handheld for kids ages 4 to 8.  What’s cool about it is there are a variety of buttons to use for interactions: in addition to a 4-way D-pad there is a slider, rocker switch, wheels and a button grid, making for some great tactile play.  The controls light up when needed, which is a nice hint to the player about which one to use. It also does not need Wi-Fi.

The games and activities on the Twist are lightly educational, and fall into one of 6 categories: Arcade, Playground, Practice, Maker, Pets and Music. (There is a 7th category, but it’s just a video advertising the expansion packs.)

There are 12 activities across the categories, supporting early literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills. Each game has three levels to increase the challenge; the Pet activity includes feeding, playing with and grooming the pets (although having a kitten “hatch” from a virtual egg seems a bit odd.) The Practice category includes 7 sets of virtual flashcards, helping kids practice the alphabet, counting, addition/subtraction, sight words and spelling, and measurement and shape recognition.

While the expansion packs take a little time and patience to set up, they do have the potential to add a considerable amount of playtime.