“The Marbutopia marble run is brilliant fun for any child that likes construction and to see things go.”

Buy online from Amazon

Price £4.90 (or £14.70 for all 3 starter sets)

*****

Initial thoughts: I got quite excited about the Marbutopia Marble Run. I think a marble run is one of those toys I’d always wanted as a child but nobody ever bought me. Sniff. When I got the Marbutopia, I certainly wasn’t disappointed, even though it is 30 years down the line. The bright coloured plastic tubes slotted together brilliantly and within minutes we had marbles cascading down the tracks.

We liked: The fact that it is easy to assemble, robust enough when built, yet can be taken apart quickly to change into another shape.

We weren’t keen: No big problems; one small box alone is limited so it gets more fun if you buy a second or go for one of the larger boxes. For small people learning to build, the important thing to work out is that your marble run stays up a lot better with three ‘legs’ – once that is mastered it is easier to build runs that stay up. And strangely, the glow in the dark version doesn’t slot together as well as the primary colours.

Overall: Works much better than other marble run sets we have tried. Recommended for children aged 3+ it’s brilliant fun for any child that likes construction and to see things go. Strangely addictive, you can occasionally find me ‘improving’ DS’s run when he is at nursery.

[Antonia - Family Friendly Working]