The Toys Store

Children will love playing a police officer with this set.View larger.

Working Microphone Amplifies Your Voice
The adjustable helmet has a flip-up visor and microphone that gives it a dose of authenticity. In addition, the microphone actually works, and will amplify your child's voice. Children will love stopping lawbreakers in their tracks by saying things such as "Stop and put your hands up!"

With 30 different mission sequences, children will be entertained for a long time. View larger.

Handlebar has Built-in Mission Sequences
The motorcycle handle bar lets children take control and zoom off on the latest chase. The details on the face include a speedometer, odometer, gauges, and more. Various buttons activate and control the flashing light patterns, siren, horn, and revving sounds. The handlebar includes 30 different mission sequences, so children won't be running out of things to do.

Built-in Music and Action Phrases
When out on a mission, children will love making the handlebar play mission-inspired music and say action phrases such as "Search and rescue in progress!" and "Set up a road block!"

The helmet requires three AAA batteries (included) and the handlebar controller requires two AA batteries (included) for operation.

A Train Powered by Imagination! By using the remote control, your child can make Aero the Engine speed along the track and pull into Central Station, with his driver, Eric, right inside! Send the passengers up and down the station's elevator, or put them on the train for an exciting ride. Load up the train with cargo using the crane. Thanks to the power of your child's imagination, the possibilities are endless.

Durable and Easy to Use The toy is constructed from durable plastic and features large pieces perfect for little hands. The big, easy-to-use remote control makes the train go backward or forward and has a range of about 12 feet. It includes an automatic shut-off feature to preserve battery life. The sturdy train track snaps together easily in a variety of configurations, and the whole set can be used with other GeoTrax accessories. Adult assembly is required; you will need a Phillips screwdriver. The remote control and train engine require three AAA batteries apiece.

What's in the Box
Grand Central Station, Aero the engine, and 2 train cars, an articulated Eric figure, and 2 articulated passenger figures, cargo piece, remote control, and 14 pieces of Snap-Lock Track.

Pop the game’s DVD into your player to start the magic and mayhem. Loaded with new clips and puzzles, this updated version touches on elephants that fly to cursed pirates and all things in between. There are over 1,000 questions on the 160 trivia cards, so even if you see the same snippet from the 180 on the DVD during the same game, the question about that scene will be different. Special technology randomizes the order of the clips to ensure fresh fun each time the game is played.

The themed, interactive game board can be spread out for longer games, or folded when you don’t have a lot of time (or players). To help you move around the board there are four metal player tokens (Nemo, Ariel, Tinkerbell, and Lightning McQueen), one six-sided die to determine how many spaces to move, and one eight-sided die that determines the category to be played. Once the dice have been rolled, clips are watched, questions are asked, and it’s revealed just how much you know. Use observation, memory, wordplay, and puzzle-solving to answer various challenges about the imaginative characters, celebrated songs, and timeless storytelling you see on-screen. Categories range from Take Three and Songs to Mousellaneous and more.

All the components that come with this Disney Scene It? Game.

Not a longtime watcher of Disney and Pixar films? Don’t worry. This game is easy enough to learn and fun enough to play even for those who are not overly familiar with the plots. The trivia cards include questions for adults with separate ones for children, and some questions can be answered simply by paying close attention to the movie clips. There are also 30 Buzz cards available to help (or occasionally hinder) your progress. If these reasons aren’t enough to tempt you into a game on your own, then co-captain the Black Pearl with a friend or family member and play a few rounds in team mode first.

A TV, DVD player, and remote control are needed but not included. The DVD includes an on-screen demonstration of game play.

What’s in the box

• 2 DVDs
• 1 Flextime game board
• 1 six-sided die
• 1 eight-sided category die
• 4 collectible metal player tokens
• 160 trivia cards
• 30 Buzz cards
• 4 reference cards
• Game play instructions

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Jungle-themed play station designed to benefit children as they grow and develop The Bad: Large footprint; may not keep the interest of older children In a Nutshell: With flashing lights, jungle songs, and colorful characters, this set inspires interactive play At a Glance Ages: 6 to 36 months Requires: Phillips screwdriver for assembly

Children will be delighted by the songs and flashing lights of the Musical Jungle. View larger.

The Musical Jungle features sturdy construction that won't easily break. View larger.

Innovative Jungle Encourages Active Play
This durable, plastic play station is set up as an arc, with a slide for balls wrapping around the center support and a bright orange monkey sitting above the slide. The monkey's hands are cupped so that kids can practice balancing balls in them, and his arms move. Each time your child uses a ball or their hand to move one of his arms, he breaks out in song and stimulating, colored lights on the front of the jungle flash.

One song with a fun beat begins, "Walk like an elephant, stomp, stomp, stomp." Another says it's "time to move, fast or slow." Kids ability to clap with these tunes or sing along really makes playtime in the jungle more fun. Best of all, there's several different songs, so parents and kids don't have to keep listening to the same tune over and over again.

In addition to the music and the slide for balls at the center of the jungle, there's a spinning hippo at one end of the arc and a big blue elephant at the other. The hollow elephant has openings in his ears, and when baby drops a ball into them, it comes shooting out his mouth, often eliciting a bout of laughter. If your baby is crawling or walking, he's sure to tire himself right out chasing after run-away balls. There's another set of fun features to help keep the jungle interesting for younger children, especially those who are not yet cruising around on their own. There's also a hanging rattle ball, an alligator on a swing that moves back and forth, and a safe, plastic mirror shaped like the sun so that baby can contemplate her reflection. All these different toys mean that the Musical Jungle stays interesting as children develop new skills.

Durable, Dependable Construction for Safety
We really appreciated how strong the top arch is. Despite being made of plastic, our adult tester was able to lean on this arch without feeling like it was about to break. This is good news for parents of children who are learning to pull themselves up or still need to hold onto an object while standing, since there's no need to worry about the sturdy, stable Musical Jungle coming apart and hurting or disappointing a child.

All in all, we found lots of ways to have fun with the Musical Jungle. Despite the fact that this set is recommended for children up to 36 months old, we found the activities it offers and the infant-friendly look more suited to younger children. There are many great reviews of this jungle set out there, and it seems like most often they come from parents with a child who has not yet turned two.

This toy requires adult assembly. You'll need a Phillips screwdriver and a little bit of patience. While the included instructions do an excellent job of illustrating each step in the assembly process, snapping the pieces together and getting the screws secured takes a bit of effort. Despite the time involved, we really appreciated the fact that this activity set uses real hardware to provide a very solid structure.

The Musical Jungle is much stronger than plastic toys assembled solely from snap-together pieces, and the parts can be unscrewed by an adult if you want to disassemble the jungle for storage, another feature that similar products often overlook. Three AA batteries are included to power the lights and sounds.

A box chock full of at least 2,172 laughs.

Of course, advancing to the center of the board is where all the fun is had. Teams must work together to answer, sketch, sculpt, solve, act, hum, and more. Four card decks with 600 cards and 15 activities dictate what must be done in order to move forward--and make everyone laugh out loud. One of the great things about Cranium games is how much fun they make it to discover new talents among friends and family. With something for the artist, brainiac, actor, and wordsmith, it’s guaranteed to be a good time.

Maybe you’ve always wanted to use your best friend as a puppet to act out "milking a cow." Or perhaps you want to prove you can draw "bed head" with your eyes closed. You might be eager to show off your vast knowledge of "The Hoff," YouTube, and which came first, the toaster or sliced bread. If any of these are true, you should play Cranium Wow very soon. Why keep those hidden talents hidden when they’re so impressive?

Additional vinyl movers are sold separately.

Cranium Wow has introduced another fanciful twist on this game. While the box includes four colorful vinyl movers, there are a total of 12 out there to be collected. Each one is sold separately, has its own profile, and comes with a hat or hairdo that can be switched among any of the other movers. This means that the people you play with most frequently can have personalized movers to match their own personalities. Wow!

• Game board
• 600 new cards
• 10-sided die
• Tub of purple clay
• Timer
• Drawing pads
• Pre-sharpened pencils
• 4 customizable movers with interchangeable hats and hairdos

The game map changes every time for an endless variety of play. View larger.

Settlers of Catan engages both children and adults, garnering best-seller status in both Germany and the US. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Engaging strategy game that's different each time you play The Bad: Requires three or four players In a Nutshell: The Settlers of Catan is fun, easy to learn, and keeps advanced players on their toes At a Glance Ages: 10 and up Requires: Three or four players

On the Road to Settlement
The game rules and almanac booklet sets out four pages of guidelines for getting started. Don't worry, the rules are straightforward and the four pages include plenty of illustrations. There's a starting map that shows a well-balanced set-up for beginners to follow and directions that allow more advanced players to lay out the map of the island at random. You'll have to pop the die-cut components of the game out of their cardboard holders before you play your first game.

The almanac portion of the booklet is laid out alphabetically, so while playing you can find answers to specific questions quickly. Useful entries remind you exactly what role pieces like the robber play, how actions like maritime trade work, and how to set up the board or finish the game.

Exploring and Developing Catan
The board consists of 19 terrain hexes surrounded by the ocean. Each type of terrain produces a different type of resource: brick, wool, ore, grain or lumber. There's also a desert hex that produces no resources. As the game progresses, players use resources to build roads along the edges of these hexes and settlements or cities on the intersections where three hexes meet. Each player begins the game with two settlements and two roads.

Each player's roll of the dice causes certain hexes to produce resources, which you collect if you have a settlement on one of them. On your turn, you'll use various combinations of the resources you've acquired to build new roads and settlements, upgrade settlements to cities, or purchase development cards. The ability to trade resources with other players adds a new level of strategy and ensures that the game includes lots of interaction between players. You can also trade without worrying about other players using an unfavorable maritime trade rate. Elements including a robber piece that lets you steal from other players and a variety of development cards add intrigue to the game.

The objective of The Settlers of Catan is to be the first one who collects 10 victory points. Each settlement is worth one victory point and each city is worth two victory points. You can also earn victory points by holding the "Longest Road" card, the "Largest Army" card, or special victory point development cards.

Best-Selling Game of the Year
It's easy to see why The Settlers of Catan has been recognized as a best-selling Game of the Year in both Germany and the U. S. We found this game to be fun and engaging for both children and adults, and the variable nature of the playing field really made us want to play again and again. When we started pausing to contemplate our opponents' strategy and factoring the probability of different dice rolls into our moves, the game sometimes took longer than expected, but we were so engrossed we didn't even notice until it was all over.

Due to the widespread popularity of the original game, several expansion sets (sold separately) are available that allow you to explore new aspects of the game or add more players. The only downside to this game is that you need to have either three or four players to play, so it's great that expansion sets are available that will allow you to add players.