Fisher Price Smart Cycle Review

November 17th, 2008 by admin

Kids need exercise. Kids need to learn. Kids like video games.

What could be a better Christmas gift for your favorite 3-to-6-year-old than the Fisher-Price Smart Cycle, a combination stationary bike, educational tool and video game? This physical learning arcade system will provide exercise--well, at least activity--for both body and brain.

The Fisher Price Smart Cycle allows children to experience the physical activity of the great outdoors without having to worry about wintry weather or neighborhood safety. Within the security of your own home, they can experience active play that builds bodies in a kid-safe way. Meanwhile, they will be pedaling a course through games and adventures that grow their thinking skills and creativity.

You can load your Fisher Price Smart Cycle with different games created for different development levels so your children don't get bored. The Smart Cycle plugs directly into your TV or VCR without the need for a separate gaming system. Pedaling keeps the game going and movable handlebars steer through the game. A joystick and playfully colored buttons are used to interact with the games and educational tools.

Children can use the Smart Cycle to learn shapes, math, the alphabet and more. Additional game cartridges feature favorite characters like SpongeBob, Dora the Explorer and Barbie. The Fisher Price Smart Cycle is flexible enough to grow with your child physically and intellectually. Surprisingly, the handlebars are not height adjustable, one of the minor flaws in the system.

Overall, the Fisher Price Smart Cycle is easy to install and easy to use. It's one Christmas gift you can be playing with in minutes. However, children may need help understanding some of the game instructions.

Some users have expressed concern that the Smart Cycle doesn't remember game progress when you turn it off. So when your child stops for a while, they have to start over again when they go back. Another item for Fisher Price to consider adding to the Smart Cycle is user names to allow different ages to start at different levels. As it is now, if you have several children sharing the Smart Cycle, they all have to start at the same game level.

The bottom line? The Fisher Price Smart Cycle is not perfect. But it packs a lot of fun for the price, and everyone reports that their kids love it! We would give it 4 out of 5 stars. And we'd probably give it to our kids for Christmas--if they weren't age 20 and 23.