Leapster grows up with Didj

— -- For kids who have been weaned on Leapster educational video games, there's a new system for them when they outgrow its content. LeapFrog now offers the next stage of educational gaming, called the Didj Custom Gaming System, a handheld for kids ages 6 to 10.

The Didj ups the ante on game-play mechanics and graphics so that the games look like the handheld games that you might find on the Nintendo DS or Sony's PlayStation Portable. But unlike those other handheld games, the Didj games include educational content.

The Didj is smaller than the Leapster but retains some of its familiarity by using the same button setup with a multidirectional button, home and help buttons, and the A and B buttons. But, it adds upper right and left buttons, a configuration that is similar to the PSP. Unlike the Leapster, the screen is not touch-sensitive.

What's interesting about the Didj is that you can customize some of its content. The games cover core educational content in math, spelling and language arts for grades one through four, and for each game, you can select what skills you want drilled. For example, if the game is drilling multiplication, you can choose which numbers you want drilled, or if the game is covering spelling, you can choose which words to practice.

You can also customize other aspects of the game play, depending on the game. You might be able to change the look of the background or your on-screen character or avatar. Perhaps you can add special powers to your character. Each Didj game is different and offers its own customization.

To use the customization, you must load the system software on a computer and then connect the Didj to the Internet using a USB port. The Didj will go to LeapFrog Connect, a special website that allows you to control what is on the Didj. From LeapFrog Connect you can upload the points (called Bitz) that you have earned in the games and exchange them for items to use within the games. You can also download some free items for use in your Didj games. This site is also where you control which educational skills the games drill, and for some games, you can create your own avatar on the site.