In April this year my nephew turned 2 and I really couldn't decide what to get him. He's a real boyish boy and loves all "boy toys" and cares not one bit for babyish toys so I started Googling words like "car" to see what was available. I find 2 a difficult age to buy for as most toys are too childish for them or aimed at 3 years and over however I came across this remote control car that claimed to be for children 2 years and over so I decided to buy one.

I bought the red Chicco Johnny Coupe car from Amazon but there is also a yellow one available, the price at the time of purchase was about £22 and I see it's now up to £24.99. The car comes packed in a huge box with every language you can think of on the sides and back but not really saying much in any language. I couldn't even figure out from reading the box which batteries this toy needed so warned my brother to have plenty of various sizes in.

The car is 10cm long and chunky, it's a very basic looking car and not at all like the more adult remote control cars. The remote only has forward, backward, left and right buttons so it's not supposed to be too complicated for 2 year olds to use. It's also supposed to be educational as it teaches the child how the car moves when they use certain buttons. The headlights light up when the car is in use too which I really liked and if I'd had one of these when I was a child it would have tempted me to play at night with it!

Pleased with my purchase I delivered it on the day and watched my nephew's face light up when he saw it. The battery situation was resolved by unscrewing the plate on the back of the remote and the other one under the car and establishing the remote took AAA size while the car took AA size. Remember that if you buy one because the box isn't clear about it at all! The remote is a small, lightweight affair that also slots into the back windscreen of the car so you can keep them together and avoid losing it. It isn't too small or fiddly for little fingers though and the buttons are all about the size of a penny and clearly marked.

My nephew sat on his Dad's lap and had a bit of a fumble with the remote however we soon realised he wasn't really paying attention to how the car was moving or which buttons he was pressing. After a few minutes he actually seemed to get tired of the remote and got down on the floor to lift the car and play with it that way. We discussed this and all felt it was more suitable for 3 years and over so hopefully in a short while he'll have another go and get to grips with it!

I personally couldn't wait for my turn and didn't feel my nephew's half-hearted play with the car had really put it through its paces so in the spirit of the tomboy I used to be I started to have a go. I found the car quite easy to steer with the buttons but I did find quite quickly that the reverse mode doesn't work with either left or right at the same time so you can only reverse in the direction the wheels are turned. Of course the left and right do work with forward.

My sister-in-law then wanted a turn so again in the fashion of a whooping tomboy I crafted a ramp from a hardback thin book and we decided to see if the car could make it over the ramp and land in one piece. I'm pleased to report, especially as it wasn't mine, it did! The car climbed the ramp with no problems and even if it flipped over on the other side it didn't break anything, it's a very sturdy little car! We also crashed it into furniture a few times (lady drivers eh?!) and no damage occurred to either the car or the furniture!

My brother is confident my nephew will try again in the future and I do stand by the earlier statement this would be better for 3 year olds and older but it is a fun chunky car that whizzes around the room on either carpets or hard floors and at least entertained my sister-in-law and I for a while! It won't be easy to break and as it's 10cm long and about 6cm high it shouldn't be too easy to accidentally stand on either. It will do ramps and knocks and bangs and the fact the remote fits into the back window means it shouldn't get lost. The remote is a bit more delicate than the car and could easily be crushed underfoot but it's still fairly robust as long as it's kept out of the way of feet! I still think this is an excellent toy for children and a great first remote control car but probably not a great buy until they are 3.

4 stars from me and I recommend this car.