VTech V.Smile Blue Bundled with Thomas & Friends Game Reviews
Good fun for the kids
Susana De Freitas from London - UK - 4 out of 5.
Got this as a gift for litlle ones in my family, they loved it pure excitment. Only thing is graphics aint great but then again I don't think they pay much attention to that.0 people voted this review as helpful and 0 people voted this review as unhelpful.
this vtech game is a good buy for any child
Lisa Jane Dawes from cardiff in wales - 4 out of 5.
this product is educational fun to learn and play, value for money and keep the child entretained for a while.0 people voted this review as helpful and 0 people voted this review as unhelpful.
My son loved it!
Mummy Shah from Stanmore, UK - 4 out of 5.
This was my sons (than 3yrs) Xmas08 present. He loved it! Played all thru the holidays and was great fun for him. However ever since he has discovered the Wii and now does not want to even look at the Vtech!He is over 4 now maybe likes more advanced technology!0 people voted this review as helpful and 0 people voted this review as unhelpful.
DISAPPOINTED
C. Beresford-Evans from UK - 2 out of 5.
My child loves it and its very educational. My child loves the add ons too, like the art studio. In fact he loves it so much that I am now purchasing my third one. The first two have both stopped working in exactly the same way.It has worked out very expensive having to buy three different machines in as many years.
0 people voted this review as helpful and 0 people voted this review as unhelpful.
a fun game worth the money,fine graphics!
E. Stainsby from uk - 4 out of 5.
hi there people, i have to agree with the previous reviewer that wrote about this being simple graphics+ great fun and learning., you can clearly see fine on the tv and yes think of the sega system.,thats what i thought when i turned it on!., my son doesnt mind that its a bit grainy.like i said you can see perfect and we have a 42inch samsung lcd tv,so if the pictures good on a 42inch then it has to be even better on a smaller size. and is lots of fun so dont be put off by other reviewers., how else has this won so many awards if the picture is so bad?!! this is great fun and i even have a go with my son so its fun for all!!just thought i would write this review as there seems to be only negative comments which i nearly listened to!! but thankfully i read the other reviews on the pink one aswell and there all positive!!so i dont see how so many people think the pink ones good when there the same machine but different colours!!hope this helps you.7 people voted this review as helpful and 0 people voted this review as unhelpful.
less than 5 minutes play.
Sharon Lunney from Derby, UK - 2 out of 5.
My daughter always wanted to play my wii, so I thought her own introduction - which is also educational would be ideal.Sadly, the graphics are so fuzzy you cannot make out what to do - suggest playing this on a portable rather than lounge TV. There are lots of bits to the controller, but the only two bits ever used in the two games we have bought are the joystick and enter key.
The joystick is very sensitive which isn't good for a young child who isn't used to the concept of what you have to do.
I found my daughter got very frustrated and just wanted me to do it for her - far from the point. Within a few minutes of watching characters she can barely recognise she just wanders away.
Whilst I can see that some of the games would be educational, the execution is poor. I now allow her to play some cheaper games I bought on the PC as she can understand the mouse.
As far as the graphics go, I don't think it is how basic they are that is the problem, but how poorly they translate into a large picture - the text is incredibly difficult to read on a 32" screen as it becomes so fuzzy it is almost double vision. The price they charge for the console and games you would expect better.
The games are more expensive than a lot of wii and PC games available for the same age group. There is no adapter for it either, you have to buy that seperately.
The one good thing I have to say about it is how durable it is - it has been knocked/ pulled of the TV table a few times by my daughter, yet has no damage at all. None of it feels about to come apart and the console buttons are tactile.
0 people voted this review as helpful and 0 people voted this review as unhelpful.
No More V-Tech
Mr. R. Lechatellier from UK - 1 out of 5.
Some time you have to use your first instinct, when somebody says it is useless, you just have to believe them!!1 people voted this review as helpful and 0 people voted this review as unhelpful.
V tech V smile - V Unhappy!
J. Hiles from Cheshire, UK - 1 out of 5.
I had been trying to think of ways for our 3 and half year old to start recognising his alphabet - unfortunatley he hasn't taken to the jigsaws my older son enjoyed and I didn't want to push him into anything, but wanted to make it fun.When I saw the V smile I thought 'Bingo!' - this will interest him as he is already familiar with playing basic games on cbeebies website and I noticed there was an alphabet game available (together with his interest in Thomas - I thought I'd cracked it!!!!)
So - I read 1 or 2 vague reviews here and there - but convinced myself that this was definitely the toy to have.
I decided to get everything working when the boys were in bed - so that I could avoid the inevitable impatience of me unwrapping and setting everything up. I cannot put into words how disappointed I was with the whole thing. Thank goodness they didn't see it (and never will).
Firstly the most noticable thing is the awful quality of the graphics
Secondly the sound quality isn't up to much at all and how a child is supposed to follow the vocal instructions I'll never know
Thirdly the controls for the games and the variation of what they need to understand to control the game is so confusing - I cannot comprehend that we're in the 21st century and a major toy company can get away with selling this as a quality educational toy.
As far as I'm concerned V-tech have created this cheap to manufacture but relatively costly toy (especially as you think you should buy the mains adaptor and the 2nd joystick and not to mention the phenomonally dear games)as an introduction to 'gaming' and not a quality educational toy.
I have definitely learned my lesson - going forward I will thoroughly research a toy before getting drawn into the hype.
If you're happy with the 1980's quality of the 'ZX' computer then go ahead and buy it - but I strongly advise you to re-think how you are spending your hard-earned cash.
14 people voted this review as helpful and 4 people voted this review as unhelpful.
Disappointing...
The Smiths from UK - 1 out of 5.
V-tech promises an award winning learning platform with entertaining graphics and funky coloured consoles but in reality the product is somewhat of an enigma.The console and joystick are all well styled, feel durable and the whole system is easy to set-up. My kids were really excited at the look of it and even more engaged with all the enticing images on the packaging and individual games.
It looks like they spent a lot of time and effort designing it....and then you turn it on!!
The graphics are appalling with a fuzzy distortion which makes it very difficult to sit in front of for more than a few minutes. Added to this is a muffled sound navigation which is barely audible and text navigation which isn't always easy to read against the background.
I completely concur with a previous reviewer who likened this console to an early 80's computer and, whilst I didn't expect something that delivered XBOX or Nintendo gaming, it really disappointed against the most basic of expectations.
19 people voted this review as helpful and 6 people voted this review as unhelpful.
Keeps the kids quiet.
M. Foster - 4 out of 5.
Not sure what the previous reviewer was expecting for less than £40 - an XBOX 360 perhaps? Clearly this isnt a games console its a learning *toy* which our children like very much. We had the vision to buy the 2nd controller which was bundled with a game so was almost free anyway.Graphics and sound are basic but not as bad as made out by previous reviewer - think Sega Master System rather than Vic20!!
All in all not a bad buy, the main downside is that the kids will grow out of it in time so think of it as having a lifespan of about 5 years max.
27 people voted this review as helpful and 1 people voted this review as unhelpful.
Not recommended...
The Frog from UK - 2 out of 5.
We were really disappointed with this console.Our pre-school children find the controller confusing. Its got big buttons and little buttons, and coloured buttons, and a pen pad, and a joystick. If I'm honest I find it confusing too.
On screen, the user interface is very inconsistent. The children can't work out which buttons to press.
The graphics look like something from the mid 1980's, think Vic20/ZX Spectrum quality and you won't be far wrong. The sound seems muffled, making it difficult to hear what's being said. The music is ZX Spectrum quality - you'll want to make it stop after 2 minutes.
Inserting the games requires more force than our kiddies can muster.
Many of the games and navigations rely on text... which is fine for older children, but pre-school kiddies can't read. Though some navigation items are also spoken, the sound is so poor its often hard to make out whats being said.
There is only one controller in the pack (even though some games for the console are two player). Which provokes fights between our two. Additional controllers are ~£15 new (half the price of the console!).
Overall, we were very disappointed. If you're looking for a Christmas or birthday present think hard before you buy this.
Good PC games are generations ahead of this console (try Bob the Builder's Castle Adventure for example! I like playing that one, so do the children).
21 people voted this review as helpful and 6 people voted this review as unhelpful.
