great for kids and adults alike (Flair Etch A Sketch)

Member Name: rxbeef

Product:	Flair Etch A Sketch
Date:	16/06/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun, portable and quite cheap entertainment

Disadvantages: easy to make mistakes, bit frustrating, especially for kids

It would appear that while having never actually left out shelves, the etch-a-sketch is making something of a come back, with adverts featuring adults who are insanely good at drawing on them. I requested one of these for my birthday, half as a joke, but as luck would have it I got one, and I LOVE it.

The product comes in one of those really difficult to open plastic sleeves that require a large amount of scissoring in order to actually get into it, but when they are on the shelf, this packaging allows you to play with the toy a bit. The idea is that by turning two knobs, one for the horizontal lines and another for the vertical lines, you can create pictures. This obviously does limit your drawings and I'm not quite sure how this is still so popular.

For kids I can see this being so frustrating, because it's just not as fun as a pen and paper. For adults, it's great because you have a bit more control than kids and it becomes a bit of a challenge to create picture by only using two knobs. The other large advantage is that the item is sturdy, and although a little big, can be taken away therefore removing the need for pens and paper when travelling. To clear the screen you have to shake the product, and my only concern with this is that I will be mid creation of my Mona Lisa replica, when somebody accidentally comes and ruins what I've done. That is really my only gripe, and otherwise this is a great gift for somebody (or even to yourself) for only £10.

Summary: an excellent blast from the past that fully deserves the attention it receives.