DS Lite, Nintendo

The Nintendo DS Lite is slimmer and much sleeker that the original DS. The device employs innovative dual-screen and microphone-enabled gameplay as well as Wi-Fi multiplayer capabilities, allowing for a growing list of original and fun games that you can't play on any other system. In addition, the system is backward-compatible with almost every GBA title.

We have one and it has become a constant battle to get our son away from it. I read all about how great they are. What about them turning our children into anti-social creatures? We are now refusing to buy any more games because it has become a problem.

Sorry compelled to say - avoid the 3D ones like the plague they will hurt eyes. Sold ours. Not having one in my house at all ever again. Instead bought a portable drawing board which is better for hand and eye co-ordination. Still concerned about hunched posture.

When rating - yes they entertain BUT - what price eye sight problems and hunched necks?

Against my better judgement Grandma bought dd one of these as a present, didn't want a child plugged in constantly - however, I have noticed a significant improvement in my dd hand/eye co-ordination and by getting 'maths' based games it has made maths fun and not a constant battle.

Fantastic one of the best toys I have bought for my children, it really teaches them as they play!!! Highly recommend!

great thing when 2 dc have to share a room on holiday and would normally have separate rooms and different bedtimes (no sound allowed of course!)

Be careful when buying games. Especially with regards to the seller's description. I recently bought a game via a comparison site (www.gamescomparison.com). Amazon were the cheapest on there but it turned out to be a 3rd party seller. The game that we were sent, worked on a DS Lite but not on the DSi that we had recently bought. Phoned Nintendo and they said it was probably a counterfeit version. I did manage to get my money back.

The kids have one each and they are very good for keeping them quiet when out in, say, a restaurant. The goggle-eyed look is outweighed by that.

The games vary hugely in price depending on where you get them. There are a few comparison sites out there. try www.gamescomparison.com, for instance.

fantastic console - good price - wide choice of games [some for moms/dads too]

gets my 10/10 vote !

fantastic buy i have 3 children 14 ,7 and 4 they all have one and play alone or together. the best thing we have brought. as well as fun they are educational and bring out lots of different games for all ages(including me ).

an excellent buy, educational games are available too. well worth its price

a fantastic buy, keeps the kids entertained for hours, also you can buy educational games such as suduko, languages, crosswords, maths games etc.

a great console for kids. handheld, portable, keeps them quite for hours, educational games available. worth its weight in gold

I have two children (6 and 10) both have DS lites. They have been the best purchase I've made. Thye can be added to by buying new games, you can restrict the time they use them and there are educational as well as fun games.

This is the perfect item for a school-age child. It's educational, helps dexterity and helps keep your childs attention focused. Fantastic.

Both my sons love their Nintendo Ds, although they sometimes have a problem sharing it! Ds 1 loves playing the latest games like Ben 10 which he saves up for with his pocket money and Ds 2 loves playing Diego.

I was a bit appehensive about getting a nintendo DS for my son, knowing his addictive personality! However he has got so much pleasure from it and it has been invaluable on long journeys. His face was a picture the first time he went into the "Game" shop to buy super mario with his xmas money. He has also learnt a lot about telling the time as we have quite strict time limits on his usage!!!

An excellent purchase-- I bought it for myself, actually, but then saw how fun it was, so I got some games for DD, then 5. She is 6 now and I'm very impressed at how she figures out new games. We've enjoyed Animal Crossing very much, Smartgirls playhouse when she was younger, Scrabble, and various Disney games. The DS is an excellent gadget to take on trips!

ds. Does it stand for Demon Seed? or for Dream Scene?

A little bit of both I'm afraid.

DS1 didn't get any consoles until he was about 6 and then it was because his father gave him a second hand PS 1 and a couple of games that barely worked. A couple of years later he got a new ps2 for xmas and he was addicted to that for some time. ds2 came along 4 years after ds1 and of course wanted everything his big brother had. Since I didn't want to duplicate things I got him a ds2 for his 5th Christmas.

It is great in that it keeps him entertained, occupied and there is a certain amount of education as well. It is a nightmare because he has become completely addicted to it. I have had to set very strict limits on his usage of it otherwise he would be doing it 24/7 and probably be blind by now.

ds1 finally got one for his birthday this year but he isn't nearly as addicted to it as ds2.

So yes for older kids I'd say but hold off for the younger ones no matter how tempting it might be to keep them occupied.

We bought consoles for our 2 dd's last christmas. We got a PSP for dd1 and a Nintendo DS for dd2. The ds is great fun and there are so many games to choose from. Both dd's have played it so much in the last year it really was worth the money we spent on it.

Great gaming console. Ideal for all ages 3-100 !! My 2 yr old son also get some use from it with games like Crayola. There are educational games available aswell. My eldest son and I would be lost without ours, they are great for holidays, in the car, taking to grandmas, etc. Go on, you know you want to !!!

great toy - for parents too! Word coach is excellent for my 7 year old, helping her learn brilliantly

Great value entertainment as well as educational - 8 year old loves playing all variety of games on his DS, and is lost without it!
Games can be pricey - as with all high tech devices, but the DS is a far more affordable platform than others such as the XBox etc.
Overall well worth the money - Esp'as some of the educational games are interesting for adults as well as kids!

I held off too..partly because of the price..but there are bargains to be had these days. Really pleased we eventually bought one. Far from leading dd into isolated play, she dual plays her games with them when they visit. It's a source of social engagement and talk. Plan on buying her Spanish Coach to play for Christmas. There is also retail outlets which let you part-exchange games for new ones.

educational and fun games are available for this console , good fun and good for long journeys .
my daughter has one and we often share games (i get to do the hard bits lol)

I was reluctant to pay

A fantastic cool little console which is easy to use with great graphics. Like a lot of reviewers I was holding out on buying one of these for my daughter, fearing that it would be the source of many arguments but it's actually been a great toy. She's not obsessed with it, in the same way my son is with his playstation but it's great for journeys and quiet times. Handy when relatives ask for Christmas/b'day ideas, although she tends to go back to the same games.

Excellent for kids and adults alike.
Easily portable and playable on long journeys or just when the mood takes you. wide range of games to chose from with something suitable for all ages.

We held out getting hand-held games until the boys were about 8, but these things are great. There are a wide variety of games available, and you can also play games against one another with a wireless feature on the consoles. Like anything you have to play the parent and limit usage and enforce the limits you set, but generally we find them fab.

Truly amazing little hand held machines. While I was reluctant to buy at first, we are so glad we did. Portable, robust build and endless fun. Worth every penny. The variety of games out there are endless. There is also many many useful and educational tools - not just about mindless shoot em up games. While you might need to monitor the length of time spent on them as they can be addictively good fun, this should not stop anyone from seeing the huge amount of positive reasons why these make fantastic toys.

I put off and put off buying my Dd a DS as I didn't wnat her to end up glued to a screen, but I'm so glad I bought it for her now.

You can get educational games, as well as "fun" games and as long as you, as the adult, limit the screen time, its just another way to play.

Highly recommended.