It's hard not to feel self-congratulatory after assembling this set, in part because the results are just so darned awesome. Finished, this motorized roller coaster sits over 3 feet high and more than 5 feet long. And while the classic K'NEX components interconnect with characteristic ease and versatility, the patience and gumption involved in diving in and seeing it through to the end (there are, after all, more than 800...Read more

Each K'NEXmen Mystery Figure pack contains two small, themed figures (pirates, astronauts, pilots, race car drivers, zombies, and many others). There are 16 unique figures in all, with varying degrees of rarity. They come packaged in 10 different pairings, so that you never know which figures you're getting until you tear open the package. These colorful, detailed action figures are marvels of engineering. Not only do the...Read more

The beauty of Katachi is that it gets you thinking in new and different ways. In a sense, you even begin to see differently. You know you're in for something special as soon as you open the box. The tiles that form the foundation of the game have a unique allure. Brightly colored and imprinted with various geometric shapes, they have a distinctive look and feel that just makes you want to play. Line them up randomly in si...Read more

Suggest to a young child who has yet to ride a two-wheel pedal bike that they try training wheels, and they'll tell you scornfully 'Training wheels are for little kids.' The KaZAM balance bike is an outstanding way for children to use two wheels right from the start, creating in them the confidence and balance needed to progress seamlessly to two-wheel pedal riding. One thing we've learned from testing a variety of differ...Read more

Kids take turns adding balls to Keekee, a wide-eyed monkey with outstretched arms rockingly balanced on a giant banana. Keekee wants to juggle, and the children's task is to help him by adding juggling balls, one at a time, to Keekee's arms, hands, head, and along the giant banana. As the game progresses and the easier spots fill up, it becomes more and more difficult to add another ball without any of them falling. The m...Read more

King of 20 does for numbers and simple math what Scrabble did for letters and words - turns them into highly entertaining fun. But you don't need to be a lover of math or numbers in order to greatly enjoy this game. After populating their tile racks with 5 tiles apiece (replenished after each turn) players take turns placing up to 3 tiles at a time on a Scrabble-like board, interconnecting them with existing tiles in a cr...Read more

You'll experience two distinct phases of fun with this kit, each highly entertaining in its own way. The building phase, during which you'll put together one of a number of possible marshmallow catapults (Nano, Scorpion, Spider, or your own variation), is especially enjoyable due to the range of possibilities at your fingertips. Those creative options spring from the uniqueness of the Hanz system, which uses three types o...Read more

Blue Suitcase picks up where Toddler Build & Play Cubes (see separate review below) left off, by introducing 4- to 8-year-olds to a more detailed level of shapes, sizes, and creative exploration through building. Blue Suitcase comes with 146 pieces neatly packed into a sturdy, highly portable LEGO suitcase, small and light enough to carry with you everywhere. It's easy to build with this set, and the gas station theme mak...Read more

It is a remarkable experience to watch a child assemble the Off Road Racer, a fast-moving race car with a pull-back motor capable of doing exciting stunts. The finished vehicle is a marvel of detail, sleek and sporty, and the pride felt and displayed by the child who put it together is a pleasure to behold. Yet the instructions are surprisingly easy to follow, using ingeniously clear-cut illustrations to guide the process...Read more

That toddlers find these build & play cubes to be riveting entertainment is unsurprising given their bright colors, playful patterns, and simple geometric shapes. Oh, and they're awesomely easy to build things with. These LEGO duplo bricks are sized large enough to make it easy for small hands to make their way when playing and building. The 17-piece set includes a bright green platform onto which all the other pieces can...Read more

When shopping for an infant's first playthings, two concerns that immediately come to mind are safety and simplicity. Of course, you want something that will also provide stimulation to your baby and promote his natural development. Lela, a serene-looking toy fawn, was designed with all these things in mind. Lela stimulates both the budding imagination and motor skills. She's made of 100 percent natural rubber painted wit...Read more

It's wonderful when everything about a game, from the design and artwork of its box, board, and components, to the details of game play, are perfectly suited to the intended audience - in this case preschoolers to age 7. What's more, the skills being taught and reinforced by the highly enjoyable game play here - colors, shapes, matching, and turn-taking - are also perfectly suited to the targeted age range. Even very youn...Read more

Parents will feel like they've hit the trifecta of fun by giving their kids Lincoln Logs Horseshoe Hill Station. Not only will it unleash children's creative building skills and stimulate hours upon hours of imaginative play, but the vast majority of the components here consist of smooth, stained, wooden pieces of varying sizes - classic Lincoln Logs. Easy to follow diagrams show how to construct three different fort stru...Read more

There is something extremely gratifying about this brainteaser, in part because you can sense your mental muscles growing stronger as you play. And it feels mighty good to flex that newfound brainpower. Even children and adults with admittedly poor spatial skills expressed experiencing rapid shifts in how they visualized the pieces and approached solving the puzzle after just a small amount of time with it. Logiq Tower co...Read more