Hape comments how it’ll bring hours of entertainment with a shape-sorting puzzle, ball roller coaster, rotating maze, tracking panel and wire maze.  One of its greatest assets, though, the manufacturer doesn’t mention—it’s very stable and the round edges and corners are another appreciated safety feature. It’s recommended for children ages 12 months and older, but I’ve had families with waddlers. Waddlers are children who aren’t babies anymore, but who aren’t quite toddlers yet either. The Country Critters Play Cube helps them stand up!

Even though I give the Country Critters Play Cube my PLAY ON stamp of approval there are a some drawbacks:

Pros & Cons:

• First is the shape-sorter—the pieces are too small to be safe for a toddler to use unsupervised; they should be considered choking hazards. Parents need to always supervise younger children playing with this toy OR put those pieces away until your child is older than 3 years! Also the mechanism to hold the shapes inside the cube can be a little hit-or-miss, with shapes falling straight through before the knob is pulled.
• For some families, the fact there is a hammer available might prove problematic—ie, it’s used to hit another sib and/or visiting friend. I would say take that as a teachable moment and carry on!
• You might have to true up the wires of the maze if they become bent impeding the movement of the beads—but correcting that isn’t difficult.
• PRICE—quality comes with a price so it shouldn’t be a surprise then that the Country Critters Play Cube is expensive.
• Lastly, storage issues: You can try to keep the shapes ‘inside’ the cube and the balls resting on the racks, but I would suggest keeping them in a small container (with a lid) so none end up disappearing or rolling away.

With that said, though, there are some drawbacks:The various pieces from the water paddle to the pump give them seeing-is-believing, hands-on experiences with the physics of water.

The AquaPlay Super Set is actually 2 sets combined. It comes with its own carrying case that also holds all its 21 pieces. Additionally the case doubles as a system of byways where its truck can roll down a road or its boat float down a canal. Operating the locks and controlling the flow of water throughout the canals was always a main attraction for the preschool kiddos and I’m sure it will be with yours as well.

Without a doubt your child(ren) will want to PLAY ON and I concur—this is a fantastic, imagination-rich toy for children 3 years and older!

Pros & Cons:

• Adults are required for assembly. Be prepared, for that first time, that it’s going to take quite a bit of time in fact. You’ll need to put on the strips that prevent water from leaking when the pieces are connected. Plus you’ll need to add the stickers to create lanes. Once that’s finished, you’ll find laying it for assembly is a huge help.
• You have to develop a ‘knack’ to connect the pieces—the pieces are very stiff and non-compliant initially (and really for several assemblies down the line)—you’ll know you’ve got the pieces in correctly when you hear a ‘click’. As difficult as it is to connect the pieces, you need to be somewhat gentle taking them apart to avoid breaking key parts of the piece.
• The PUMP!  It can be the source for a lot of frustration. It takes work pumping the handle up and down; precision keeping the bottom of the pump in the water; and patience for the TIME needed to be able to draw UP the water. BUT once they see how the water comes gushing out of the spout it’ll be worth it and they’ll keep at it…besides, sometimes learning something new is challenging! That’s why doing it in a PLAY setting is perfect—there’s no downside.
• PRICE—getting both sets together will save you money but it’s still a very expensive toy. 

Caution…

• So I said water play for kidlets is great—and it IS—but for adults that might not be the case. If you choose the AquaPlay Super Set make sure you either set it up outside OR clear out a rather large area in the kitchen with a lot of towels available. The floor WILL get wet, as will your kidlets!