As learning aids go, they don't get much better than the Explorer Globe from LeapFrog. Touch the globe with the electronic pen included and it will spring to life, naming the country or ocean you've touched and giving you one or more of a number of facts--ocean depth (in feet and metres), country capital, population, land area, continent, even music (a rather eclectic mix!). Touch it again, and you'll get another nugget of information.

You can choose which information you want on precisely which area of the globe, from: name, capital, population, area, high point, money, music and continents/countries/states. The globe will also compare one place with another and tell you the distance in miles between them, if you touch two points in succession.

But the real potential of the Explorer Globe lies in its game, "Eureka: a Game of Discovery". Touch the Eureka button, then choose from continents, countries, country capitals, states, state capitals or a free-for-all random round. Set the game going and you must find the points that the globe instructs you to find. You are running against the clock and the instructions and accompanying music become increasingly quicker as you progress. The multi-player option means healthy competition can be introduced and as you progress, you can choose between "tourist", "frequent flyer" and "globetrotter" levels, which become increasingly difficult.

The voice recording on the Explorer Globe has an American accent but diction is clear and precise and in no way does this detract from the final product. This is a fast, furious and fun way to learn geography, (physical, human, political and economic as well as musical!) and though aimed at children, adults may be surprised at how healthy it is to do a little revision now and again. As well as being an effective learning aid, the globe can be a fun, family game. Simply superb and suitable for children aged 7 to 77! --Lucie Naylor

Okay, so at Awakenings we like to bring you moving images of many of the products we showcase. The following clip gives you an idea of how the Leapfrog Explorer Globe works, but this was made for a bit of fun!!

Manufacturer's Description
Children and parents will be amazed at what this interactive talking Explorer globe can do. Touch the Explorer Globe with the NearTouch pen and listen to what it tells you. A toy for all the family, a great learning experience from the world's most intelligent globe. The Explorer Globe will instantly pinpoint global identification of countries, capitals, continents, oceans and more! Providing accurate up to date information on population, currency, music, size and time of day! The Explorer Globe will teach you the distance and flying time between two points on the globe. With challenging learning games for all the family to play and progressively helpful hints for the younger members of the family the Explorer Globe will be an instant success in your home.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic toy!
What a great toy! I bought one of these for my 6 year old son for Christmas. He plays with it every single day.

The one we received is a different colour to the one pictured and features an English voice. My son really enjoys the quizzes - finding the capitals, oceans, countries etc before the time runs out.