Leopards are awesome lizards, but for more hands-on experience I would recommend a bearded dragon. They seem to take to handling better (in my experience) and will require you as a keeper to learn some of the finer points of maintaining a desert-dwelling species. By the same token, their array of social behaviors & docile, easygoing nature are a great reward for the care they require.

We've recently started expanding our beardie colony and interacting with these lizards has been nothing but a joy on a daily basis.

Just my $.02

K