Must-have 'iPad' gift for toddlers

The £79 LeapPad has been tipped by Hamleys as one of its biggest Christmas toys this year.

It has a video camera, touchscreen and more than 100 apps that can be downloaded, including storybooks that parents can read along with.

Experts say it could become an attractive alternative for parents unwilling to buy their children an iPad 2 ­- which retails at a rather larger £399.

"It's quite cool - it's no iPad, but for £80 is great," said Stuart Miles of gadget site Pocket Lint. "It's got a very clever system so parents can see what their kids are doing. It really solves the problem for parents of kids using their iPad all the time.

"The apps on it are also designed with the curriculum in mind - which isn't always the case on the iPad."

Previous versions of the LeapPad resembled a talking book, but the new model is aimed squarely at the iPad generation.

Robert Dekker of LeapFrog, which makes the gadget, said: "LeapPad offers kids the ability to create their own personalised experiences and have fun while learning at their own pace."

Child's play: 'you can draw really nifty pictures'

Dory Lee-Potter, aged five, gives her verdict on the LeapPad:

"The trouble with our iPad is that Daddy thinks it's his and keeps taking it to work.
But now I've got my very own LeapPad. It's smaller and plastic so it's easier to hold on to when I'm running or hopping and harder to drop.

The layout is almost the same - there's a home button and volume controls. And it's got a touchscreen. But there's a controller for games and a special pen which is easier to use than grubby fingers.

There's only one proper game so far - Roly Poly Picnic - and it's good but very tricky. I like Pet Pad the best. You can make your own pet and look after it, feeding it and washing its fur - you can even make a hairdrier dry it after a bath by blowing into a special hole on the side.

You can draw really nifty pictures in Art Studio. And that's much better than the iPad's Drawing Pad because you can paint pictures as well as just drawing.

Oh, and there's a camera - and a video camera. The only downside is that my LeapPad uses batteries which is very annoying because they always seem to be running out - especially just before bedtime. That's what mummy tells me, anyway."