Like many kids their age, my three sons all love Peppa Pig. Last Christmas, while shopping in Makro, I saw that Grandpa Pig's boat was reduced to £7.50, so jumped at the opportunity to add to their collection of Peppa toys. As with all of the Peppa Pig toys, the boat looks exactly like it does in the cartoon, and it comes with Grandpa Pig, George and Peppa figures. George and Peppa are both wearing yellow life jackets, which led to questions from my four year olds and the chance to explain why it's important to wear life jackets on boats. An unexpected bonus teaching moment!

It was lucky that this was a present from Santa. In our house, all the toys Santa brings are already taken out of their packaging for when the kids come down on Christmas morning. If one of our sons had received this as a gift in its packaging, they would have been driven mad by the wait as we struggled to remove it from the box. Plastic ties are the norm for kid's toys these days, but this packaging actually involved screws! I think that's a bit much!

The boat can play several sounds, and mercifully, has an on/off switch (so many toys these days don't seem to!) Theoretically, you puch down on the cabin in the middle and the boat speeds of, playing on of the sounds. In reality, the cabin is very, very stiff, and despite having had it for nearly a year, it hasn't gotten any easier to press down. It's difficult for me to do and impossible for my sons. What exactly is the point of a toy that a child can't operate by his or herself? It can be pushed around by itself, and my youngest son is very attached to it, but it is a bit disappointing that the mechanism isn't easier to use, as he loves listening to the boat music.

The construction quality is, for the most part, great. The boat itself is really sturdy, and even with being bashed about a bit, it hasn't cracked or splintered. The flagpole, bell and throttle on the deck are all made of a slightly more flexibly plastic, probably to prevent breakage. However, this didn't stop my three from breaking all of those pieces off, so be wary if you are giving this to a young toddler. The figures themselves are great. As usual with Peppa figures, they are all attached to round bases, and they have been fully integrated into the other Peppa playsets we own.

Overall, this is a great colourful toy that's quite durable. But the problem with the cabin is a huge let down, considering this is the toy's main selling point. At the price we got it for, it's a forgivable flaw. But I've judged my star rating on the average price this boat retails at, and I think that it is definitely not worth paying over £15 for. If your child is a Peppa fan and you see this for sale at a reduced price, I would recommend it, but by no means pay over a tenner for it.