Games Reviews

The only thing deluxe about this puzzle is the fact that it's made of heavy duty wood, so it's very durable. My son has had this puzzle since he was 3, and he is still enjoying it at age 5. He likes it very much and has learned a lot about states from using it. However, I think any states puzzle would be educational and fun. A person should rate the puzzle against other similar toys, and this one could use a lot of improvement.

As other reviewers have mentioned, the shape of Michigan (and Maryland) is cut wrong, many New England states are bunched together into big clumps, all I'm assuming so that the puzzle is easier for little tykes. The capitals are only shown under the pieces. They chose to put the nicknames of the states on the front of the pieces instead, and only some of the states merited a picture of something associated with that state. Many have no picture at all, or in the case of Hawaii, the picture actually obscures the shape of the islands that make up that state. The bold black outlines of each state just make for ambiguous or even inaccurate borders and no way to see which borders are actually natural boundaries like rivers. I find myself wishing I still had my little cardboard puzzle from my childhood, which had more accurate rendering of all the political boundaries, each state cut out separately, and all capitals located on the front of each piece with its star in the right location. I'm looking forward to when my son will graduate to a big boy states puzzle.

I bought this for my nephew at 2 1/2 years of age. Do you know that he could say the state of Texas, and recognize the little pieces like New York, Vermont, etc. just because of this puzzle. It is very appealing to toddlers.

This is a must have for any youngster (ages 5 or 6 to 8 or 9 in my opinion) who has any interest in puzzles. It is sturdy, simple to use and with very little efffort teaches the child the location and highlights of each state in our amazing country. It also allows the child to discover where relatives and friends are located in relation to their home state. As a former teacher, I feel it would be an asset to any primary classroom as well.

The chalkboard is very difficult to erase. I actually had to wash the chalk off and dry it for my grandson to use again. Any help would be appreciated. My grandson loves this and I would hate to have to return it.

I bought this for my then 2 and 4 year old. It is the perfect size for our narrow sunroom and the kids love it. Great hit at playgroups too. Easy to clean, I just use babywipes. The organizer tray is quite practical and does not pop out easily. I put non-skid pads on the bottom so that the easel does not move around while the kids are drawing.

I purchased this for my 3 year old's birthday. It arrived 2 weeks earlier than estimated, I was impressed. This easel is wonderful, even came with dry erase markers and chalk and an eraser. Right away she used the markers on the chalk side, we panicked. The marker washed right off! WOW! Don't hesitate to buy this. Easy to clean!

This is absolutely the worst Little Mommy Toy ever. The legs are always coming off, and I keep trying to jam it into it's spot back in. Gladly I don't own it, but I was playing with it at my little neighbor's house. She has it, and the legs keep coming off, and the little girl is only 3, and she can't handle that!! I felt sorry for her when she started wailing because it didn't work. Trust me, do not buy this toy unless you want to dissapoint your daughter!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Carrot

At first this toy seemed wonderful, but after a few days all of the pieces started falling apart. The stethoscope fell apart, as did all of the other little pieces. The legs constantly fall off and never seem stable, the back of the table falls off. In fact, every single part of the toy easily comes apart, making it very frustrating for my 3 year old. After a few days of trying to keep all of the pieces intact, we just gave up.

The concept is a good one, but the way this toy was made is very poor. The design is good, but there is no thought in keeping the pieces together. The quality of all of the medical apparatus is very poor. For my 3 and 5 year olds, this toy just did not hold up. I would not recommend this toy to anyone unless you enjoy putting the legs constantly back on, as well as all of the pieces on the table such as the scale.

I bought this for my 3 year old, and she loves this toy. The bad thing is that she is always bringing me different parts to put back together. From the moment we opened the box we realized how poor this toy was made. Every piece falls apart. Her babies are always falling in the floor when the legs come off. That makes a 3 year old mad. I think the toy needs to go back in the shop. It has great potential though.

I received this toy for Easter for my Twins in thier baskets. I have to say that the nicest part of the toy is the three brightly colored balls. I am a big Fisher Price fan and I like the adjustable volume and the music is not too overbearing but the toy is not made well. The hoop attachement falls off way to easily (everytime) and having to re-assemble it each time its touched is annoying. With three small kids, I need a toy to hold up for play. It's not worth the money and I would not give this to anyone else.

We got this toy at Christmas when Ethan was 5 mos., he is now 10 mos. He likes to spin the side spinner but that's about all. I agree that the hoop falls off MUCH too easily and it was really hard to put the bottom pieces together. It seemed silly they weren't already connected. Ethan loves playing with the balls alone but not worth the money.

My son almost 7 months old and this has been his favorite toy for months. He can hold the balls in one hand (sometimes one in each hand) and has figured out how to put them in the basket. He also chases the balls around the room and loves to watch his daddy juggle them. He loves to hear the music and looks perplexed when he makes a basket and the toy isn't turned on! Yes, the top comes apart from the bottom occasionally but not everytime by any means. My son picks it up, pulls it around, and it stays put together. I got online to order another one for grandma's house and was VERY surprised to see such a low review.

Our grandson wanted the Attacktix Battle Figure Game for his birthday. He had one piece and was excited to _build a squad_ as Hasbro advertises. We were very disappointed when trying to order the battle figures that while advertised, few are actually available. We ordered several pieces including a starter set and then the booster packs that were available. Amazingly the Starter Set and the Booster Pack, advertised to increase the squad, contained two out of three of the same figures. While the toy may well appeal to young boys in particular, the marketing plan is deceptive and disappointing.

A great game overall. Loads of fun to play. Kind of like chess with weapons.
You need more that the starter set to really enjoy the game. One starter plus one booster should allow a basic 2 player game.

Cautions: there are small plastic pieces that shoot. Keep away from eyes and small children.

Also the pieces are not indestructible but can be repaired easily with superglue (I have had 3 pieces break (and repaired) out of 40 or so). You can find detailed repair instructions online.

I am the Star Wars Fanatic

Attactix is a great "Attack" toy I must say. All of the figures attack greatly like the real people in the movies! Not that aggressive though. I have collected most of the Star Wars Attactix Franchise and this one claims to be my absolute favorite. The Star Wars Episode III Attactix Starter Set is amazing and I play with it all the time. This is a great game to be played with friends and family members. Attactix. Maybe you can call it a simple game, just maybe I have been playing Attactix only for a month and I really like playing it. You have to buy it!

Toy Lightsaber Line (2005.)

INTRODUCTION:
Star Wars is the ultimate science fiction saga of all time - there's no debating it. Ever since 1977, the science fiction saga George Lucas created has captivated audiences all around the world. If there's one idea from the series that was truly unique, it was the Lightsaber - a beam of pure energy that could slice through anything - except for the blade of another Lightsaber. Many attempts have been made over the years to create the perfect replica of these legendary weapons, ranging from children's toys to high-quality replicas. One of the most abundant of the children's toys is the standard toy Lightsaber line. Read on to see how these non-powered replicas measure up.

OVERVIEW:
This line of toy Lightsabers was released around the same time as the Revenge Of The Sith film. They retail for approximately eight dollars each. Many different colors and styles are available, and more are likely to come. This is a line of children's toys, not high quality collectibles.

REVIEW:
As a big fan of Star Wars, I love to explore all different varieties of products from the series. Lightsabers are one of the coolest things to emerge from the Star Wars universe, and as such, it's one of the things toy companies have attempted on numerous occasions. These models won't really win any points for detail or flare (mostly due to a lack of light and sound) but for having your own little duels, these will work nicely. Keep reading for pros and cons.

THE GOOD:
-FOR PERSONAL LIGHTSABER DUELS, THIS IS THE MODEL TO OWN. Despite the lack of lights and sound, these things keep the experience authentic. The look and general feel are true to the universe, and since there's no sophisticated electronics, you don't have to worry about messing up the internal workings. So you can duel all you want with these things, and have no worries.
-CREATES THE FEEL OF A REAL LIGHTSABER NICELY IN MANY WAYS. The saber extends and retracts, plus it has a belt clip you can use to carry it in the retracted state. As such, it's quite portable and easy to carry around.
-EASY TO EXPAND AND RETRACT. The saber is easily expanded with the snap of your wrist and holding down the red sliding button. Once expanded, to retract it you just push down the expanded portions of the blade.
-STAYS EXPANDED WELL. Unlike many other "expanding sword" type toys on the market, this one was designed well for the expanded state. It actually takes some work to get it retracted, so it likely won't fail when you need it.
-CHEAP! These things are the least expensive Lightsaber replicas on the market, and as such, in the rare and unlikely event that you break one, you can easily afford and buy a replacement.
-QUITE DURABLE FOR THE PRICE. These things can take a lot of abuse and still work fine, despite the low price. As such, they're ideal for many Star Wars fans, young and old alike.
-SEVERAL DIFFERENT COLORS AVAILABLE. If it's a color of Lightsaber you've seen in a Star Wars movie, you can get it in this line.

THE BAD:
-NO LIGHTS OR SOUND. This is as much a pro as a con. Sure, you don't have to worry about damaging electronics, but without the lights, it's hardly a Lightsaber. I wish they had made an area where you could put in an optional pack for light and sound. That would have been a nice option.
-EVERY ONE IS PRETTY MUCH THE SAME. Essentially, every one of these toys has the exact same hilt and only the blade color differs. But then again, I wasn't expecting much variance, seeing how this is a cheap toy.
-SOMETIMES TOUGH TO RETRACT THE BLADE. Not a big deal, as I was worried more about the blade staying retracted. Still, it's a shame this isn't as easy as extending the blade.
-NOT MUCH OF A COLLECTOR'S PIECE. If you want a nice collector's piece in the form of a Lightsaber, get one of the Force FX sabers. The product I'm reviewing here is a toy, plain and simple.

OVERALL:
Overall this is an awesome Lightsaber. If you want to have duels with your friends, this would be the best product to do it with. Sure, it lacks light and sound, but it's durable enough that you won't be breaking it anytime soon or having it get ruined. Overall, despite the flaws, I recommend these.

EDITION NOTES:
This is one of the most beloved Star Wars toys out there today. It's likely that it's going to remain widely available for quite some time to come, as Star Wars fans young and old alike love Lightsabers, as well as cheap stuff.

me and my friends love playing wit this lightsaber.I found i could hit this lightsaber with a stick and it wouldent break.unlike the expensive electronic one this one is much cheaper and durable.

Play safely with friends in action packed fun with your personal lightsaber.

I received my I Dream of Summer Barbie Doll in record time, and in perfect condition. I would definately order again from Amazon. Please keep up the good work.

A toy that my 4 year old boy keeps playing with over & over again. The entire series has him captivated. Up until the Imaginext Dinosaurs he really didn't have any interests, so I am thrilled that we stumbled upon this series. These are so durable and reasonably priced, too!!!

The brontosaurus is yet another of the Imaginext dino toys that are so well-made (durable and adjustable) and fun to play with, our kids really enjoy them. We have two boys 4 and 6, and they usually have fights between thunder and the t-rex. With all the smashing and crashing they do, we've had not so much as a paint chip on any of the toys. The sounds are great, and I love how you can move their legs and tail around. They make a great addition to our dinosaur collection.

I bought this for my 2 1/2 yr. old, who is madly in love with dinosaurs. This is a really neat toy. He enjoys the little cavemen that came with it, the sounds the dinosaur makes, and it is clearly his favorite toy for Christmas. I think what I like the most, is the durable construction, and how it really enables him to use his imagination. It is a little lop sided, because the foot is raised for a stomping motion when you pull the trigger, but this hasn't bothered him in the least.

His two older brothers, 6 and 4, hover anxiously for him to put this toy down so that they can pounce on it and play with it, so I think this is a great toy for a variety of ages. I'm looking forward to purchasing more of the collection for all of them.