The Toys Store

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Durable, realistic Clone Trooper helmet The Bad: Size may be awkward for younger children In a Nutshell: Inspires active, imaginative play that spans distant galaxies At a Glance Ages: 5 and older Requires: 3 AA batteries (included)

The mask is sure to please a Star Wars fan. View larger.

The microphone inside changes and amplifies your child's voice. View Larger.

Join the Grand Army of the Republic
Preparing for your first mission as a Clone Trooper is quick and easy. Before you assemble the helmet, adjust the straps on the insert to fit your child, then snap it into place. We had to try several times before the two back pieces and the front of the helmet snapped together neatly. Once we got the three pieces aligned correctly, they attached securely, producing a sleek, sturdy helmet. The three "AA" batteries that power audio features come already installed.

Featuring realistic details, including a tinted visor, a crest on top, and clone-inspired colors, this durable, plastic helmet has three buttons on the right side that prompt five different sayings from the Clone Wars TV show. A button that issues radio static keeps communication interesting, and commands like "Cover Me!" and "All units fire at will!" add a quick adrenaline rush to any battle. Plus, there's a voice-modulator microphone so kids (and adults) can issue their own statements in a cool clone voice.

Experience Intergalactic Role Playing
Whether part of a Halloween custom, an everyday role-playing game, or a display in the ultimate collector's bedroom, this Clone Trooper helmet brings home all the excitement of Star Wars. We were floored by the accuracy and durability of its construction. Plus the tinted visor was much easier to see through than we expected, as long as the helmet was sized correctly.

The size and weight that make this helmet so realistic and durable did cause us to worry about how easy it would be for smaller children to wear. It's true that the straps inside adjust to fit small heads, but that doesn't prevent the size of the helmet itself from being awkward. Similarly, the microphone is adjustable, but it can still be stuck too far away from a small child's mouth. This means that the helmet has to be lifted by hand to speak through the microphone.

When it's positioned close enough to the wearer's face, the microphone does a good job amplifying statements and commands, as well as providing the static you'd expect from a clone. It's ability to truly modify and deepen a voice is less reliable, although this doesn't really detract from the fun. Overall, it's hard to beat a toy that encourages active, imaginative play the way this helmet does. Even adults who are loyal to the original trilogy are likely to enjoy slipping the Clone Trooper helmet on and taking part in the struggles of the Republic.

Two players can shoot it out with this battle system. View larger.

Shoot Your Way to Victory
The Battle System allows for two players to play, but by purchasing more taggers, you can include more players in your battles. The included Phoenix LTX taggers look and feel good, and they also registers hits, shots and special weapon activations. You'll be notified by a combination of lights, sounds, and vibrations.

The Shot Blast attachment lets you hit multiple targets at once. View larger.

The Shot Blast attachment lets you tag multiple targets at once, boosting your overall hit damage. The system includes a rumble pack that lets you know when you've been hit, and the gun recoils with each shot, just like a real gun. A manual reload feature lets you restock ammo more realistically.

The Pinpoint Sight attachment lets you be a sharpshooter or sniper by lining up your shots for incredible accuracy.

Video Game Attachment for Single Player Fun
When you are not battling someone else, you sharpen your skills by playing the video game attachment. Simply connect the module to your television, and you'll enter a first-person world with unique environments, locations, operations, and unlockable weapons. Note: Video game module is designed for use with CRT TVs only, and not for use with projection TVs, high definition TVs, or plasma TVs. Note: Lazer Tag Multiplayer Battle System requires 12 AA batteries (not included).

The hyper discs can be conveniently stored in a compartment on the side of the arch. View larger.

Three fast-paced electronic table-top games in one stylish unit. View larger.

Fun, Futuristic Table Top Game
With its sleek, arched design, Hyper Slide looks like a futuristic game. Resembling a hockey game for a table top, the object is to flip the pucks through the goal. However, in these games the goal can be scored from both sides of the arch, and there are four different-colored pucks, called hyper discs. The game's electronic unit calls out a color, and you must pick that color and sent it through the arc. It automatically detects whether you've passed the right disc or not. When not in operation, the hyper discs can be conveniently stored in a compartment on the side of the arch.

Three Games for Solo Play or Two-Person Play
The Hyper Slide offers a few variations of play for your enjoyment. Two lighted buttons on the top of the Hyper Slide make it easy to choose which of the three games you want to play.

While the objects of the games are simple, playing them can be a fun challenge. The first game, "Fast Pass," is all about speed. The game commands a color and you've got to pass it through the goal quickly before the buzzer blasts. With "Add One," you've got to remember the order of colors. You start with a color and add one to the sequence each time you complete a round. "Code Buster" gives you 90 seconds to decipher the secret series of colors.

Best of all, you can play all these games with a friend or by yourself. With both "Fast Pass" and "Add One," you can even play head-to-head with another player or team. For solo play, the rubber "hyper band" is attached under the arch, bouncing the discs back to your side.

Put to the Test
Playing on any smooth, nonmetal surface, you'll be surprised how much fun the Hyper Slide really is. An announcer's voice, high-energy music, and sound effects move these games along. With your head in the game, you'll soon block out all the noise and only hear the color to flick, slide, or shoot through the arch. Unfortunately, if the constant voice directions are not your thing, the game can't be played without these sounds, nor can the volume be adjusted. On the plus side, the Hyper Slide announces your score at the end of each competition and keeps track of the highest score for each game. This electronic system runs on three "AAA" batteries (sold separately). If the Hyper Slide goes unused for two minutes, this smartly designed toy "goes to sleep," saving battery life until the player buttons are pressed.

Pros

• 3 fast-paced games for 2-person and solo play
• Lighted buttons make it easy to switch through games
• Games remember high scores
• Electronic game shuts off on its own

• Game must be played with announcer and music going
• Volume can't be controlled

Aimed at 4- to 10-year-olds, the 6-by-4-inch Leapster is sized for little hands and comfortably shaped with safe, rounded edges. The 2-1/4-inch touch screen is ample for most of the gaming activities; although a little cluttered when used for the art and drawing modules. Buttons are suitably placed on either side of the unit for thumb-operated control. The right side features "A" and "B" buttons for selecting settings and answers while the left has a multi-directional gamepad for game play. A pen is also attached for drawing, selecting tools and settings, and dragging and placing objects. The 3-inch backlit display makes games visible in the dark (although parents will prefer that the Leapster is shut off at bedtime) and the animated graphics, while not completely state-of-the-art are well done and suitable for this age range.

The Leapster Learning Game System takes the brain-building principles that Leapfrog laid out in its earlier electronic learning devices (which have an interactive book format) and applies them to a video-game format.

As with the manufacturer’s LeapPad products, the Leapster does require the purchase of additional cartridges to expand its capabilities. Kids can choose titles with their favorite characters to play educational games with. The star-studded list of celebrity narrators includes TV personalities, such as SpongeBob Squarepants, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Dora the Explorer; and movie stars, such as Nemo, Cinderella, Ariel (The Little Mermaid), and Batman. Leapfrog’s own cartoon star, Tad, is narrates a few as well. While stocking up on the extra software titles can get expensive, it also gives parents some control and input on which characters they’d like their kids to learn from. And, characters for these titles are appropriately matched to the maturity of the targeted grade level (pre-K through 4th grade).

Starting up or hitting the Home button takes players to the main menu. There is one staple pre-loaded game that children will likely come back to again and again. Rabbit River is based on the Frogger game format, but with an additional learning element. In letters mode, kids guide their bunny to hop floating logs to the other side of the river while jumping on specific letters to identify them or spell out a requested 3- or 4-letter word. In numbers mode, the bunny must land on specific numbers on the logs to skip count by twos or form a correct equation. The other pre-loaded activity is Color Corral, an interactive coloring book designed to boost creative problem-solving skills. This module is like a kid’s version of Photoshop and offers a variety of scenic templates, colors, tools, and moving icons that kids can combine for an infinite number of possibilities. The included manual gives suggestions on how to reinforce these math, reading, and art concepts in the real world. .

Each game offers multiple skill levels so kids can ease into new territory at the beginner level and challenge themselves with more advanced learning problems as they understand the concept. If kids are stumped at any point during a game, they can hit the Hint button and receive a friendly push in the right direction from an animated tutor, Edison the firefly. Edison also appears automatically if kids answer a question incorrectly several times in a row and coaches the child to reach the correct answer. The Pause button lets kids stop the game for a snack break and pick back up again where they left off.

Updated from the original game, the Banking Edition features updated tokens, money system, and more. View larger.

This version of Monopoly features bank card accounts. View larger.

Classic Fun with Modern Twists
Aside from the electronic banking, the basic rules of this game have not changed from the Monopoly everybody remembers. Tokens, houses, hotels, chance and community chest cards, cardboard property deeds -- if you've played the classic version, you'll know how to play. The board is different in how it folds up in the box, but once you spread it out, it's the same.

The tokens have changed to reflect today's culture. Instead of irons and racing cars, the tokens depict modern icons such as a Segway and a tin of Altoids. Instead of railroads, there are airports. The utilities are Internet service providers and cell phone services. Properties have also been updated -- from the upscale blue Times Square to the economy purple Texas Stadium. In this game, you can go to jail for identity theft or lose $1 million when a virus infects your computer network. And of course, property values are exponentially higher than in the original game.

The big switch, of course, is the electronic banking. Each player starts with $15 million in their bank card account, and the banker adds amounts (such as when the player passes go) or subtracts (such as when the player pays to get out of jail) by inserting the player's card in the plus or minus slot of the Banker Unit. When one player has to pay another player, the banker debits or credits each account as appropriate.

Monopoly for Right Now
The electronic banking is neat and easy to handle, and as an added educational bonus, the player who takes on the banker role will quickly become familiar with basic bookkeeping concepts. The bank cards operate more like debit than credit, so players will learn responsible money management, not how to run up credit card debt.

This version of Monopoly doesn't play significantly differently than the original. The game can still take hours to play, and the instructions offer several alternatives for those who want speedier play. The updates introduce a few elements of surprise along the way, but for the most part it's still the same great Monopoly that will provide the same kind of family fun with some surprising, up-to-date twists.

Pros

• Same basic game play, but with up-to-date references
• Electronic banking works well, easy to learn
• Teaches responsible money management
• Fun for both kids and adults

• Player customizations might not work with the new version
• Updated references will eventually become out of date, too