So your child is going into senior school and you’re wondering what’s the best first laptop for kids?
One model that might be worth considering is the Venturer EliteWin mini laptop – it’s a slightly smaller than average laptop with a detachable keyboard, so the device can also be used as a tablet. At just under £200, it’s certainly affordable. Even better, Who’s the Mummy has a Venturer EliteWin laptop to give away – read on for more details.
First Impressions
If you’re buying a laptop for a child that’s anything like mine, you need it to be fairly robust.
Given the price point, the Venturer EliteWin feels surprisingly solid – the magnetic connection between screen and keyboard feels very stable, and the whole device casing feels sturdy. Ventura tells me that they conducted ‘drop tests’ from a height of 0.6m and 1.2m comparing the Venturer with devices from Lenovo and Asus – and the Venturer laptops were the only ones to survive the higher drop.
Tech Spec
The EliteWin is built around the Intel Atom chip, which means you have a 1.3GHz processor – not a powerhouse, but sufficient for everyday browsing, emailing and music. If you want to do anything more demanding, though, you will find it slow.
There’s 2GB RAM and a 32GB hard drive – again, it’s usable, but you’re not going to be storing dozens of movies on this device. But there are plenty of options to attach external storage and peripherals, thanks to the USB and HDMI ports, along with a Micro SD slot (and a free 64GB card in the box).
The Venturer EliteWin has a slightly larger screen than other devices in this price bracket at 11.6 inches (the resolution is 1366 x 768px) and I found it perfectly good for watching videos. There’s also Windows 10 built in, which is ideal for a student in need of Excel and MS Word.
Usability
We aren’t regular Windows users in this house, but I found the Venturer EliteWin very easy to use. It boots up quickly, and is nicely responsive. The keyboard in particular was impressive – as a touch typer, I often find mini keyboards rage-inducingly hard to use, but this one worked really well.
The battery life is stated at 8 hours, and I found this to be fairly accurate – we managed to run it for over 7 hours between charges. Certainly there’s enough for a fairly intensive homework session, or a full day at school or college.
As a left-handed user, it might be nice to have a USB port on both sides so I can plug a mouse in on my preferred side, but it’s a very small niggle. I’m not a massive fan of using trackpads, so I notice these things!
Win a Venturer EliteWin 11.6 Laptop!
Who’s the Mummy has teamed up with Venturer to give away a brand new Ventura EliteWin 11.6 mini laptop. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me your favourite computer game. Then complete the competition widget – and don’t forget to take advantage of the bonus entries available!
Win a Venturer EliteWin Mini Laptop
The competition will close Friday 9 June at midnight (GMT) and entry is open to UK residents aged 18+. Please note it’s one entry per person (plus bonus entries) and the winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries after the closing date. The prize is as stated, and is not transferable. There is no cash alternative. Promoter: Flea Enterprises Ltd, 2 The Old Sawmill, Lytham Lancs FY8 5PLÂ
I actually downloaded the retro game, Chuckie Egg, from my childhood and play that! I love it though the kids think I am mad!
I like Solitaire Spider.
I love playing the sims on the computer. I remember when they first came out and I had to have it. Even now at 28 I still play the most recent edition. I still feel like a big kid.
I do love a sims game
i’m a bit addicted to bubble witch at the moment 🙂
pacman xx
anything to do with mario is a classic x
Old school, but my favourite game of all time is Pac Man!
I’m a big Solitaire fan so I always download them to my devices
Candy Crush! x
SOLITAIRE SPIDER . GREAT GAME
i liek playing solitaire on the laptop, love card games!
I love the chuckie egg – wonderful
I love playing doom
Breakout
Definitely Sims for me
Lego Movie
The Sims! Ive played it since i was a teen, its quite addictive, i love that you can create this whole world!
Lego Star Wars
I like Snake
I always loved Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee ~ a bit old hat now but great fun 🙂
Grand Theft Auto V is my fave.
spider solitaire
I love playing Sudoku on my computer – Keeps my brain active
My favourite game is ‘Donkey Kong’
I don’t play games much nowadays but you can’t beat classic Tetris!! x
I haven’t played any computer games for ages but I used to like diablo, legend of mir, and heroes of might and magic.
It was a game called Chuckie Egg that I used to play on my friend’s Commodore 64
I sill love a good game of Sims 4!
I love Candy Crush 🙂
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Tough decision! It’s probably Riven for me – I used to love it as a kid!
Love mahjong, can play this for hours and hours
Mario Kart
Loving ‘Word Twist’ at the moment. It’s like Boggle online.
any SIMMS game
I love the sims
I love street fighter
Minecraft
Sonic the hedgehog will always be my favourite computer game.
I like having a cheeky game of solitaire for a quick work break 😀
My favourite game as a child was Runescape, though nowadays my favourite right now is Sid Meier’s Civilization 5 🙂
The Sims….I think I have played all of them over the years 😀 x
Sims or Sim City
I loved playing the sims
Has to be Candy Crush….very addictive
I like Majhong
DOOM
Minecraft!
I love the sims but I really have to limit my time on it
The Sims 3
I love Sonic the hedgehog its my all time favourite computer game
World of Warcraft
The Sims but I also used to love Theme Hospital x
Alex Kidd in Miracle World, the game was built into my Sega Master System II – loved playing it as a child, although the repetitive music on a loop used to drive my parents bonkers! 🙂
I could spend hours playing Mahjong
Destiny
all time favourites that i keep playing are grim fandango, all of the sims games and bioshock games
I have to say I was completely addicted to Sonic on the Sega Megadrive
I don’t play computer games anymore but when I used to I loved playing Lemmings!!
Need for Speed
Mario Kart.
My favourite pc game is ‘Football Manager’ – something about having power over 1000’s of little men…it’s addictive 😉
Theme park is my favourite computer game, it’s so much fun!
Tetris is a classic and still amazingly addictive.
Probably Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. I love all the splinter cell games but that was my favourite. Next non-splinter cell game would have to be super mario 64 🙂
Max Payne
I don’t really play games on the computer, apart from Solitaire, but my grandchildren love playing the Lego and Peppa Pig games with me
Probably Tetris or F1 Challenge 99 – 02
At the moment I am playing Resident Evil 7. I am loving it so far.
I always loved tetris,great game and certainly keeps your brain in good working order
My favourite computer game is Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven 😉
any kind oh solitaire or Majhong
Candy crush
A bit old school, but i liked the Alines computer game. it was a lot of fun
The Sims, I can get lost for days playing that
I love The Sims
The Witcher 3
Scrabble for me xx
I love Candy Crush.
Jewel Quest II. I play it over and over 🙂
Sim City
Pacman – I’m rubbish at it though
My favourite computer game was Crystal Quest.
PacMan.
I love Doom!
minecraft
Radzone on the old Amstrad 464
Candy Crush
rollercoaster tycoon
Love playing The Sims, keeps me busy for hours
I used to love playing SimCity
im a bit addicted to candy crush soda
Definitely mario!
I really like Nibblers
sims!
I like Candy Crush
Angry Birds
Sonic the Hedgehog, an all time favourite
As a kid I loved crash bandicoot
Candy crush.
I loved Crash Bandicoot – Looking forward to the new game
Candy crush for me x
My fave all time game is Sonic the Hedgehog
Mario Kart is my all time favourite
Crash bandicoot!
Zelda: Ocarina of Time is just a classic favourite
Tetris the old ones are still amazing
My favourite is Tetris
Pacman
Civ IV multiplayer with my boys
This would be ideal for my little man.
Compact and stylish
I love it
You just cannot beat PacMan!!
My fave game has to be pac man hours of endless fun
Shining Force on the old Sega Mega Drive!
I love Mahjong
Cake mania 3
Has to be shenmue
Theme Hospital
Candy crush
I like to play chess against the computer
worms
Now I like Candy Crush but my favourite game of all time is ‘Wizball’
I used to love the sims lol.
Minecraft!
two dots
Crash bandicoot.
I loved Manic Miner 🙂
Candy Crush
Sonic
I like puzzle games 🙂
league of legends
I still love Pacman. Brings back so many memories of playing it on the school computers
I love Candy Crush.
Medieval 2: Total War
Streets Of Rage!
half life 2! it’s the best!
Scrabble
I like soitaire
My favourite game is Sims 4.
Sim City!
Any of the Civilisations – but they take ages….
I’m addicted to Elvenar at the moment. This would be the perfect laptop for my girl.
I love Candy Crush Saga
Crysis – it was revolutionary
I don’t play any games any more but I used to be completely addicted to Mafia Wars on facebook!
pacman
I love the Mystery Case Files Series of games.
Crash Bandicoot for me
Has to be sim city!
Bioshock – it’s so eerie and magical
Any of the Tomb Raider games.
Star wars, Knights of the Old Republic
i love the old school sims haha, the new one isnt as good x
My oldest favourite is Sonic the Hedgehog. I bought one of those mini mega drives so I could play it again.
Bubble witch
Candy Crush – I’m a bit behind the times1
My favourite computer game is Tetris.
Shenmue. Thankyou for the competition x
I love Bust a move, it’s very addictive game
Mario super kart
Sonic the hedgehog game
Mahjong is my all time favourite. I can play for hours and not realise it
I like brain training games and puzzles
Doom
Crash Bandicoot
2048
I like Scrabble on the computer
Sonic
Crash
love to play Mahjong or MG Titans when I’ve got the time
Loving Frozen at the moment x
Manic Miner
Crash Bandicoot
Skyrim is probably my favourite!
super mario
Pong :-))
Seeker notes
I love Majhong
half life for me!
Super Mario! 🙂
I used to love playing Sonic as a child 🙂
I loved the Broken Sword series. These days though it’s Island Experiment
My favourites are mainly old-school, especially Lemmings and Mr. Do
I love Civ 5
I love Pacman!
Classics like Sonic!
something old school like Pacman
The Sims, or Civ 5.
Tetris
A game called Zeus Master of Olympus! I still play it some times on my old laptop.
Fallout New Vegas
It has to be Candy Crush for me 😉
Tetris
I like the classic Doom
Mario Kart
Showing my age but I always enjoyed Super Mario
Candy crush
super mario x
I don’t play many computer games anymore but I used to love Mario bros and Yoshis Island.
Bastion is my favourite video game
Hard to choose between solitare and the Sims…I’m going to say The Sims!!
Resident Evil 4
we all love Candy Crush
has to be Space invaders!
Diner Dash
My favourite computer game has to be the sims i love that game spend way to much time playing it.
Hayday
I’m a dedicated Pokemon Go player.
<Mario kart
Final Fantasy VII
Command & Conquer or GTA III
the sims
I haven’t played a video game in ages, but I enjoyed playing Myst many years ago.
I love wordfeud
Old school Tetris!
my favourite game of all time was Mass effect II but nowadays i play fifa the most 🙂
love playing the sims
Fable 2
I love most card games particularly spider solitaire which I can now do with 4 suits.
Mortal Kombat!
super mario bro. 3!!!
hearthstone
Pacman
I have just started to get into Candy Crush, I am addicted 😀
My favourite is Tetris.
Mario Kart
Words with Friends
I love playing Poker
Sonic the hedgehog
The Sims. It’s such a classic game and never gets old!
Ooo Legend of Zelda is my fave game
Tetris – I just love it when a plan (and the blocks), come together! 😉
love pacman
Doom
Football Manager – An old classic I’ve loved since my Amstrad days.
as a child I used to love playing pacman
tomb raider
love candy crush
I love ratchet and clank!
Good old Assassins Creed!
@lifeappears on twitter
My favorite computer game is Gateway to Apshai for the Commodore 64.
Candy Crush
I’ve always loved Tomb Raider, especially the original one.
I used to love playing Lemmings
Tomb Raider is my favourite game, especially the first one! I spent hours playing it when i was younger x
Solitaire Spider 🙂
Love The uncharted game series
pikmin…. or the sims
I love sonic the hedgehog! Can’t beat a classic!
Uncharted!
Duke Nukem
candy crush
I’m loving candy crush at the moment
Love playing Minecraft with my Son, it’s a great chance to be creative.
I’ve always loved The Sims, since the first version came out.
When I had my first spectrum, I loved a game called Nifty Lifty
Sims 4!
I love Super Mario Bros
We’re a big fan of Spelunky, it’s great fun when all four of us play it 😀
Texas Holdem Poker 🙂
candy crush!!
The Sims 2!
Mine is bioshock but doom is a close second
The Sims
Micro machines
Sim City was always a go to for me, growing up 🙂
pacman
solitaire
at the moment it’s Diamond digger.
Pacman is my favourite 🙂 x
The Sims
Oops! Must be the only one who doesn’t play computer games! My son used to like games like Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog though.
I love, love, love Rayman Legends
love agar.io
candy crush
Sim City
Peggle
destiny
I love The Sims – it’s so much fun!!
Mario Karts is my favourite game!
Candy Crush – so addictive!!
I like playing Sudoku
Probably Tetris or Pacman
I still love playing Ghostbusters on the ol’ ZX Spectrum Emulator I have! I lived for the days my old Speccy was bought out and I was allowed two hours tops on it, which wasn’t that long really considering the games would crash most of the time and you’d have to rewind the tape and re-start it all again! lol
The Division
Mine is Mine Sweeper, drove me nuts but was so addictive
Mario Kart…
Mario Kart!
Injustice 2! I love it!
I still love playing a bit of Them Hospital every now and then!
The Sims
cant resist a bit of tetris
super mario
monster buster
I still love playing Solitaire
I play Monster Hunter and Pokemon Sun on my 3DS and they are my faves.
On the computer I only tend to play Solitaire!
I love Candy Crush Saga
Mario Kart 8
I’m a bit obsessed with Covet fashion and design home at the minute.
My favourite game has always been the Sims – all versions. I very rarely get time to play nowadays though!
Candy crush can’t stop playing
great giveaway!!!
I love Zoo Tycoon and Rollercoaster Tycoon
candycrush
Lego dimensions for me!
Sims!
I love solitaire games, especially tripeaks .x
I loved the sims. Still do xx
I love playing Mario Kart of classic Pac Man
Crash bandicoot!
Football Manager
I love space invaders:-)
i love adventure and hidden object mysteries so would go for something like Criminal Case
Goldeneye 64 loved the multiplayer
Candy Crush for me
Clash of Clans, me and my 2 boys all play it 🙂
I love playing The Sims
I love Lemmings!!
Minecraft
Solitaire
Super Mario
Crash Bandicoot!
I still love Sonic…old school!
has to be tetris
Mario Kart