VTech Kidi Star Rockstar Guitar

The VTech Kidi Star Rockstar Guitar is a light-up electronic toy guitar for kids aged 5 to 10. It has strummable strings, 13 light-up fret buttons, a whammy bar and a motion sensor that plays crowd cheers when the neck is tilted up. Kids can switch between four guitar styles: electric, rock, acoustic and a fun sound-effects mode.

There are six ways to play. Solo mode lets kids hold the frets and strum to make their own music, with buttons to change key. Band mode adds or removes drum, bass, piano and guitar tracks while they strum the melody, with adjustable tempo. Game mode is a catch-the-light rhythm game with four levels, from Tutorial to Expert, played by strumming, moving the whammy bar or tilting the guitar in time with the falling lights. The guitar has 30 built-in melodies.

Three more modes use Bluetooth to stream music from a phone, tablet or other music player (not included). Jam lets kids play along to their own songs, Star lowers the vocals while they play (VTech notes this may not work with every song), and Show keeps the music silent until they strum or press the frets.

A 3.5mm audio-out jack connects headphones for quiet play or an external speaker (neither included). A guitar strap is included, and the guitar turns itself off after a few minutes without use to save battery.

The guitar runs on 4 AA batteries; the batteries in the box are for in-store demo only, so new batteries are recommended. An adult needs to unfold the fretboard and secure it with a screwdriver before first use, and a screwdriver is also needed for the battery cover. No app, account or subscription is needed.