I am looking to buy a cheap hand held chess game for my son.  He is 10 so don't start sending games for a laptop, phone or PDA.  Just something he can use and if it gets lost I don't have a heart attack.  I have seen Excalibur Touch Screens on eBay for $25.  Any good for what they are?  My son plays on this site when supervised and is around a 1400.

I have one of those.  Actually, that sounds like about the price I paid new,  Got it at Sears last Christmas.  I like it for the obvious reason that it goes anywhere.  Can be set to different levels and teach you different openings.  It has definitely helped me improve.  For a player at his level I think it is a good choice, but I don't know what else is out there.  This one was a stocking stuffer from my wife, so it isn't like I really researched this topic.

Thanks Sheath.  I think I will go with it.

I have had one of these machines for about a month. It's opening book is pretty good, and it's strength I would estimate to be 1600 on it's higher levels; good enough for a decent game for most players. Overall, I would recommend it for players up to 1600, so it's sounds just right for your son.

Thanks canary!