Spi-Dog, Spi-Dog, Does Whatever A Spi-Dog Can! (Hasbro i-Dog Spi-Dog Venom)

Member Name: danball

Product:	Hasbro i-Dog Spi-Dog Venom
Date:	17/03/09 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks great, quite funny to watch.

Disadvantages: Loses novelty quickly, poor audio quality.

The i-dog has been around for years, and is a firm favourite with kids. This, the spi-dog venom, is a limited edition version which has been released to commemorate the series of Spiderman films. For the geeks out there, Venom is an alien symbiote and is one of Spidermans archenemies.

The idea of the spi-dog is that you can connect your mp3 player with the 3.5mm jack lead (which, surprisingly, is provided) and it plays your tunes and reacts to the music.

To function, the spi-dog needs two AA batteries (which were not provided with mine) that you need to place in the underside of his body. To get the cover off you will need a tiny screwdriver but most people own these nowdays so it shouldn't be a major issue. Once you've got the batteries in place, you are good to go. Connect your mp3 player, press play and you're off. The spi-dog plays the music from your mp3 player through its speaker which is housed in its head. Spi-dogs head moves side to side, its ears move and the lights in his face light up in time with the music. The spi-dog's 'mood' can be affected by the types of music you play, this is reflected by the colours and patterns of lights in its face.

To keep your spi-dog happy you also need to 'feed' it music on a pretty regular basis or 'play' with it by moving your hand back and forth over its built-in sensor. You essentially mimic the act of stroking it as if it is a real dog. A tad weird but if you love your spi-dog, you'll do it! You can press the button on his nose to switch him off and if you push his tail too often he gets annoyed!

Weighing in at 0.2kg and measuring 10cm x 9 cm x 10cm this is a tiny little gadget that fits snugly away in your drawers or cupboards. This particular model is shiny black with white detail to reflect the design of the Venom character. It looks pretty sleek.

This would be ideal for kids who want to play their music on the go or want something that looks pretty cool to play their music on. The audio quality is not great so I would advise against giving this to those who want their music to go loud!

Summary: Good fun while it lasts.