ELC toys almost come with a guarantee of quality, and these blocks are brilliant for any kid to have. Not only are they fun to play with, but they're great for learning and excellent value as well.

You get a tub of small wooden bricks, varying in sizes, shapes and colours, and this allows for all sorts of construction techniques, fun and experimentation. Aside from the multiple colours, the blocks come in squares, triangles, semicircles and various other shapes that all slot together as long as you match them up properly.

The quality of the blocks is excellent. The corners aren't overly sharp, ever so slightly rounded presumable for safety reasons, and although there are still 'points' on them, the corners are smooth. Their weight is just about right, and you get the feeling that these are designed with weight particularly in mind as well as durability. Stacking them is fun, and also quite easy to do, and our son used to spend ages building up the highest tower of bricks he could just so he could knock it down again!

Doing things like this is fun, as is making different shapes and trying to use various different shaped blocks together to go out on angles. When they tumble, you never worry about any breakages or dents, as they also seem rather durable. The colours mean that you can sort them into shapes or colours, and this is really helpful for younger kids as they are learning. Learning needs to be fun at times, and this is an ideal way for this to happen.

Our son is now 7, and occasionally still likes playing with these. They're enjoyable and aesthetically and ergonomically appealing, and the tub they come in is also sturdy. We now have another son, still a baby, and we can't wait until he too is playing with these bricks. They seem to appeal to kids from the moment they can grab things up until older ages when things such as computer games, TV and playing with your friends takes over. However, these bricks will always remain a standard fixture in ours as long as they're still playing with them.

You get a tub of 100 blocks for around the £10 mark, and it's an investment well worth making. The main difference between these and other products is the quality - Early Learning Centre toys do seem to be more durable and better quality than most other brands, and this for me will always be the main reason it's my first port of call. I strongly recommend these blocks.