I bought the Vtech Pop Up Surprise Ball from Argos, where it normally retails for £9.99 but is often included in their 2 for £15 offer, as it was when I purchased it and currently is now (April 2012). The ball requires 2 x AA batteries and is recommended for age 3 months+.

The ball is available in two colour options, one in various shades of pink and the one that I purchased, which is mostly yellow with some blue, red and green detail. The Ball mostly consists of plastic parts but also has three velvety type strips in various colours along the sides of the ball to help stimulate baby's sense of touch. There are three big buttons on the Ball, each showing a different animal, including a bird, a cat and a rabbit. These buttons make various sounds when pressed, including animal noises, phrases about the colour of the animals etc and some music. There is also a star on top of the ball which lights up and flashes, if this star is pressed it pops up to show a blue plastic dog and plays an old McDonald tune. The ball occasionally asks where the blue dog is while the star is pushed down, encouraging baby to search for it. The ball is round, however the are three small "feet" on the bottom of the ball to keep it upright while baby is playing with the buttons. This toy also has a volume control with two settings.

My son has had this toy since he was a few months old (now 22 months) and has always enjoyed playing with it. He has progressed from enjoying feeling the textures and listening to the sounds, to being able to press the buttons himself, giggle at the dog popping up and rolling the ball around, to naming the animals and colours on the ball. My son has gotten a lot of use out of this ball and it is still in very good condition, almost like new. It is easy to keep clean with a damp cloth and has good battery life.

I think this is a good stimulating, learning toy that also manages to catch baby's attention. I would definitely recommend.