The VTech Challenger Laptop is on offer at Amazon for £16.65. That’s the cheapest we’ve seen it on PlayPennies, and although you can get it at Tesco for the same, you’ll have to add almost £5 delivery and Play have it for £17.99.  And Mail Order Express is a whopping £29.99.

• Learn and play with the VTech Challenger Laptop at Amazon

Of course we all know kids should run and play and have imaginative games to stimulate them, but sometimes, it’s nice to have them sit quietly and play too – and if that has an educational element, all the better.

The Vtech Challenger Laptop comes with a real mouse, has a full QWERTY keywboard and has 40 games and activities which are based on the national curriculum. Subjects include English, maths, music and basic French and a fun quiz game show format.

The games are suitable for single play or the  2-player mode and the progress report can be viewed on-screen if you want to see how your little one is progressing.

The VTech Challenger Laptop is recommended from age four, although one of the reviewers has a 3 year old who loves it.

It needs 3xAA batteries, which are included, but there doesn’t seem to be any mains power source.

Argos are selling this Vtech Challenger Laptop (in blue) for £18.49 instead of the £27.99 rrp.

• Click HERE to go to Argos

If you’re sharing your laptop, or desktop machine, with your youngster and they’re not hard at work sorting out the budget on Excel, or writing letters in Word for you, then they might enjoy messing around with the 40 games that this Vtech Challenger Laptop comes with.

Oh yes, PlayPennies parents, it's time to take back ownership of your computers!

The Vtech Challenger Laptop has a real mouse and the 40 games and activities which are based on the national curriculum, the subjects include English, maths, music and basic French and fun quiz show game play.

It has a full QWERTY keyboard and a 2-player mode so they can play with friends or, perish the thought, brothers and/or sisters; it's also the winner of a Practical Preschool Electronic Toys Bronze Award and the activity

The Vtech Challenger Laptop is suitable for little computer bods aged four years and over and the 3AA batteries it needs are included. I can't find any reference to a mains adapter, so you might want to invest in a decent set of rechargeable batteries or buy shares in Duracell (other battery manufacturers are available *grin*)

Thanks to lucerysmum at HUKD