Toys : Tomy Choo Choo Loop

Rating: - Mostly good, a little bad
When I first got this, I was initially disappointed at the size. The picture doesn't really give you an idea, and I suppose I was thinking the train itself would be chunky and big. In fact, it's a fair size, but quite dinky. The loop, when setup, is about 12" across and the train is about 3" long.

This is quite entertaining for the kids. Mine got it when she was 9 months old, and she still plays with it, even if it's only for a few minutes at a time.

Praise first - great for teaching them to concentrate (getting the train on the track is difficult for a littl'un), VERY VERY durable (ours has been smashed apart a million times and it always clicks back together again), teaches them ON and OFF (as they get older you can teach them how to turn the train on an doff with button on the chimney), the love pulling it apart (the track parts "snap" together and apart - they are designed to do this and mine always loves it).

Cons next - the sound (ok, for the first 10 minutes it's great, then, when it gets left on and you can't find it under all the teddies, it drives you mad!! No auto off and only one volume level), it comes apart (now I know I said this was a good thing, which it is, but it almost comes apart too easily at times - it would have been nice to be able to lock it in some way, but I guess I'm asking too much for a £10 toy! You do end up continually putting it back together).

Overall I would recommend this - it's inexpensive and is quite a lot of fun, especially in early months/years when a proper wooden choo choo set might not spark off their imagination yet....

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Rating: - A bit limited
This is fun on one level but it is also a bit limiting. The train just goes back and forth. I know that's what it is supposed to do, but I find that my sons, 3 and 1 get bored once it has done a few back and forth trips.

My 1 yr old keeps trying to push the hamster wheel train contraption down as he doesn't like watching it and wants to "do " things with the train, and the 3 yr old takes it off the rails and then can't get it back on the track again and gets frustrated when it's in this circle.

If you have a child that enjoys watching rather than hands on playing then this is probably a good buy. But it does need adult intervention until maybe 4 yrs...

I was disappointed with this product and find that hand pushed trains work loads better, at least at these ages.

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Rating: - A great first train track for your child
We bought this for our son's 1st birthday and he already loves it! It does exactly what it says on the box and at £10 it's great value. You can put the track in a circle and it goes around the room like a hamster in a ball! Or if you put a 'stopper' (sorry don't know all the train jargon) on the track when the train bumps into it it goes into reverse. You can also twist round the tracks to make a wavy line and put a 'stopper' at each end. Then the train goes up and down the track. The train also goes along the ground when it's not on a track. It's really easy for a young child to use as to switch the train on and off you just have to press down the funnel. It's quite basic but nice and simple for ages 1-1 1/2y. A good introduction to train tracks at a good price. I'm really pleased with it.