Those balls have a mind of their own! (Hasbro Playskool Spin N' Pop Arcade)

Member Name: kingfisher111

Product:	Hasbro Playskool Spin N' Pop Arcade
Date:	03/06/07 (187 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun and interactive!

Disadvantages: A bit noisy and takes up space

The Spin and Pop Arcade from Playskool has to be described as a really fun toy for little children. It is recommended for children from the age of nine months which is about the age my youngest daughter was when she received it as a Christmas Present. Having said that though, nearly a year and a half on at the age of two and a quarter she still really enjoys playing with it!

So what is the Spin and Pop Arcade? At first glance it looks like a brightly coloured low level table (as you can see from the picture) but it is definitely much more than that!

Starting at the beginning, the arcade arrives in a box with a number of different pieces which you need to put together. This is not a difficult task attaching the four legs to the table top and then attaching two activation buttons and a ball ramp. It is very straightforward but if you are not sure the instructions come with some very helpful diagrams so you really can't go wrong! The game also requires three 1.5v batteries which are not included. This caught us out slightly particularly as after opening the present on Christmas day there really was no where to pop out and buy batteries! Still, only a day later and we were ready to roll...

There are a number of different things you can do in the arcade once you have turned it on! As soon as it is on you will hear some very lively music and also see a central circular disc start spinning. This has a spiral effect in orange and yellow which creates one of those optical illusions when it is spinning. I have to say that my daughter loves watching this and listening to the music just on it's own! However, the fun really starts when you drop one of the five balls down onto the spinner and see what happens. Once the ball is dropped it really goes off on a little adventure of its own - it can be buffeted between the central spinner and the outside ridges going off in all directions and you can never guess where it might end up! Sometimes you can help it on it's way by activating a small lever (similar to those found on old fashioned pinball machines) and that will then send the ball off with much greater force! Alternately it might be batted onto a small pad where it will stay until you activate the bop and bounce lever! This makes the ball jump up and can possibly land anywhere even right off the table!There is also a ramp which will enable the ball to roll down slowly and trickle into play.

So as you can see a lot might happen when your child starts playing with the Spin and Pop Arcade, and if they are anything like my daughter, they will squeal with delight as they watch the ball on its journey! Sadly, all good things have to end and ultimately, the ball will find itself rolling into the corner pocket where it will end up in a pocket underneath the table (just like a pool table!). Sometimes this can happen quite quickly and at others it can seem to take forever - and as the music is playing continuously that can feel like quite a long time for a parent!

My daughter's verdict is that is a great toy and has supplied hours of fun. She loves watching the balls and the spinner and also likes the jaunty music that goes with it. As a parent, I also think this toy is very good as it is versatile and absorbs my daughter for lengths of time. I think that it also helps to develop her hand - eye coordination skills which is always a good thing! It is also well put together and seems pretty sturdy. It certainly looks attractive in the playroom with its bright colours but it does take up quite a lot of space too! The only slightly annoying aspect for me though is the music - after a while it does get a bit irritating, although it's not as bad as the music on some of my daughters' other toys!

So overall this is a good toy and one that I would definitely recommend, particularly as it has stood the test of time quite well by still capturing my daughter's interest. Ours was bought from Argos for £24.99 which seems a bit on the expensive side but has definitely been well used!

Summary: A great toy for little children