A toy such as a talking dall (20) or a random outcome generator for board games selects at random one of a repertoire of outputs. The outputs may be read from a smart card (36), or from an internal memory that was previously loaded from a smart card (36). Preferably, the toy is under control of a microprocessor embedded in the smart card (36). A portable educational or game-playing device presents information and prompts to a user using stored data, and receives the user's responses. A new repertoire of outputs may be downloaded onto the smart card (36) over the internet. For game-playing, education, or other structured activities, the portable device records the user's progress onto the smart card (36). The network server then downloads only data appropriate for the next stage of education or game-play.
SMART CARD ENHANCED TOYS AND GAMES