In anticipation of some nice weather, we have been collecting a few bits for garden play for my son so we can get out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. At 14 months, he is still a little young for some toys so we needed to make sure we got things that he could use but, at the same time, we didn't want to spend a fortune on toys that he would grow out of quickly. We were lucky enough to receive this Little Tikes Castle Climb n Slide from friend of ours whose children had grown out of it.

THE SLIDE

The slide is suitable for children from 12 months to 4 years and retails at around £50. It is flat packed when new but relatively easy to assemble (about 10 minutes for us but as this was second hand, not sure how much had been left when disassembled!). The main body of the slide is a turret of the castle and made of a cream plastic with a brick pattern. This features a brown plastic platform where the child can stand and look out through the castle. This also has a red plastic steering wheel on the side that can be spun - I assume to pull the drawbridge up and down with.

To climb up the ladder there is a 'rock climb' which is essentially a green plastic ramp with small boulders for hand and foot grips. The slide is red plastic. There is a crawling tunnel in the turret, under the platform that children can climb into and hide or crawl through.

PLAYTIME

At 14 months and just mastering the art of walking and climbing, my son is, as yet, unable to climb the slide himself. He will give it a good go but then become very frustrated, so will always need adult assistance to actually get on slide at the moment. The foot grips do provide some assistance and he does seem to get the idea of these at least. He enjoys standing at the top and spinning the wheel. Again, this needs close supervision as it is a relatively small platform and quite high up for a one year old so any potential falls need to be averted.

He does enjoy being placed on the slide and sliding down although, as he is quite tall for his age, it doesn't seem that the ride lasts long at all - it is quite a short slide. He is also yet to really explore the tunnel in the bottom of the turret but his older friends very much enjoy using this as a hiding place.

MY OPINION

The slide itself is well made and feels very stable on the ground - as a parent I am reassured by this as there is no danger of this being pulled on top of a child. It is sturdy and can support up to three children at a time. I don't really see this lasting my son up to 4 years of age as the slide is so small that I think he will want to move onto bigger, more exciting things by that age.

Like I said earlier, our slide is second hand and had been much used (and loved) by the previous owners. Despite this, it is still in great condition with no pieces missing or cracks etc. It also cleans up really well so it looks almost new.

I like the fact that this, whilst acting primarily as a slide, this also aids imaginative play as children can act as king (or princess) of the castle and stand at the top of the turret to watch out over their grounds. The crawling tunnel is also a nice addition and something else for the children to do, although I do not feel that it adds much to the slide as a toy.

Overall, this is a nice garden slide that doesn't take up too much room. I probably wouldn't have bought this myself as I think that it is quite pricey for what it is and how much use my son will get from it. However, if you can pick it up cheaply I would recommend it as it is well made and seems to weather well. My son also seems to enjoy it too, which is the main thing!