For years, Leapfrog practically owned the child video game market with the Leapster, and they recently followed-up with the Leapster2, but we faced a crisis in our house: Hannah is now 7, getting old to make a Leapster2 worthwhile, as she's at the top of its age range. So to keep her in Leapfrog products, the next step is the new Didj, as in, "Didja see Leapfrog's new game system?"

Shaped much like an original Nintendo Gameboy Advance (also like a Leapster, but thinner), the handheld has a D-pad, 2 shoulder buttons, and 2 face buttons, as well as the Hint button from its predecessor. Eschewing the touch screen of the Leapster line, Didj puts more emphasis on feeling like a real video game system. That said, it's much larger than a Gameboy Advance SP or even a DS Lite, so it won't fit in your pocket, losing a few points on the portability scale.

The first feature you'll notice when turning on the device is the level of customization. To begin with, you can choose from several color combinations for the menu screens, but that's just a taste. Install the included Leapfrog Connect software on your Macintosh or Windows PC (Kudos to Leapfrog for Mac support!), and connect the Didj.

Didjerator

Choose an avatar from a premade option, or design one yourself. Each account can hold up to 8 "Didji" avatars on it at once, and design is a simplified process, choosing from skin tone, eyes, nose/mouth, costume, hat, and sound effect. Create everything from superheroes to robots to cute girls to elephant aliens or a combination of these. (A random generator would've been a fun addition.) While slightly slow, the Mii-like creation system can keep a child amused for quite a while. Our 7-year-old really enjoys creating new Didjis.

Micromods

Micromods are downloadable content to expand the game, like additional backgrounds, weapons, and power-ups. By earning "Bitz" during gameplay, your child can spend those Bitz on the computer, downloading the micromods to the Didj. Currently, we've only seen free micromods available, but Leapfrog promises more to come.

Skill Selector

In this section, parents can add specific skills to the child's game experience. Weekly spelling lists can be added to the game, although each word is a 3-step process, and you can only add words from the extensive database. Our kids' spelling lists sometimes have local towns' names on their lists, and those don't show up and can't be used. Also, only 1 list can be loaded at a time, so if you want to just add 1 word to the list you've already loaded, you have to delete it and start fresh. The option of uploading a text file from the computer would have been a great option but is so far unavailable. Depending what games you have, you'll see more skill options, including language arts, math, and math facts.

Leapfrog also promises that, in the future, players will be able to add mp3's and photos to the Didj, but that's not yet available.

Learning Path

The Learning Path can be accessed through any web browser. Here, parents can get specific information on the child's gameplay, including time spent on each game and accuracy with the various skills, broken down by category. It's updated every time the Didj is synced to the computer. Think of it as a real-time report card.

Jetpack Heroes

The Didj comes included with one game to start you out, Jetpack Heroes, a math game for grade 2-5. This side scroller takes advantage of the above features, allowing players to choose a Didji for the main character with a different background available free as a micromod. In Jetpack Heroes, your Didji walks and flies, shooting at aliens, avoiding getting shot at, and solving math problems to free little star-like creatures.

It's a simple but addicting game. My 7-year-old loves it. It's more arcade-like with a big emphasis on moving, dodging, and shooting, with only a few math problems per level. Unlike most of the previous generation of Leapfrog's games (i.e. Leapster), players can lose lives if hit too often. My 7-year-old says it's hard, but enough to be challenging, not enough to be frustrating. When I played it, I found the challenge level easy enough for most adults, but I couldn't dodge every shot, either. I particularly enjoyed the gun power-ups, including the "spread" gun like the classic Contra game. Violence, though, is cartoony, and all enemies are non-humanoid.

In all, this game is a decent diversion, considering it's bundled with the system.

Final Decision

My 7-year-old absolutely loves the Didj, and so do we. The addition of the Learning Path tells parents how well they're doing (She's playing at 2 grade levels above her current grade! Way to go!), and the promise of downloadable content adds replay value to the games. I look forward to what else Leapfrog has in store for this system, and I highly recommend it when your kids start getting too old for the Leapster.

Tip: If you're looking to give one as a Christmas present, get one now, because I predict that they'll be one of the hot toys and possibly difficult to find.