The smokestack on the front of the truck is the primary way to control this robot truck. Tilting the lever back gets Rocky to stand on his back four wheels. The truck is automatically set in dump mode, but pressing the red button on top of the smokestack several times will switch it to dancing mode, where he'll shake his upper truck body to music. Pushing the lever forward returns Rocky to a normal truck position.

The red button also cues Rocky to say one of his many phrases or jokes, and also wakes him up if he's taking a nap. If you don't play with Rocky for a while, he will go into sleep mode -- a may even snore. Kids get Rocky's attention by placing objects in his dump bed, or by pushing or pulling him.

Make Some Noise!
Rocky is very responsive, interactive, and engaging -- often prompting kids to make noise so he can show off his dancing and dumping skills. Because you can play with him manually or with his help, Rocky makes playtime easy and simple. However, with only one button for a couple of operations, Rocky's automatic modes may take some getting used to for younger children. They may have a difficult time getting directly past the robot's talking to get to the dancing mode.

Rocky The Robot Truck comes with four "C" batteries.

What's in the Box
Robot truck and instruction booklet. (Batteries included.)

Timbertown Railway Ages:2 to 7 years Requires: 6 "AAA" batteries

What We Think Fun factor: Durability: Ease of assembly: Educational factor: Novelty factor: The Good: Easy-to-use remote control and feature DVD. The Challenging: Train occasionally derails, older kids might lose interest. In a Nutshell: A colorful train set that's ideal for younger audiences.

Kids will love being the conductor of their very own three-car train. View larger.

All Aboard! Fun and Easy to Play With
The Timber Railway is painted in vibrant colors and has a cute, cartoonish look that kids will undoubtedly enjoy. The included train (named "Steamer") comes with three cars: a steam engine, a log cart, and a caboose. When the train's wheels move, its smokestack moves up and down. The train also comes with a conductor action figure. Both Steamer and the conductor also appear in the included feature DVD, which gives kids a story to work within and deepens their imaginative options.

The railroad adventure begins at the Easy Rail Station by placing the train on the orange portion of the railway where it automatically aligns to the track. In general, the auto-aligning mechanism does well keeping the train on the tracks, but the train will occasionally derail when going down some of the steeper slopes. Kids can pilot the train by using an intuitive remote control, or can opt to move it around by hand. As the train traverses the track, it will make its way up a mountain, circle around loops and drive through a tunnel. There's also a working crane, where kids can load lumber and other cargo onto the cars.

Build a Railroading Network
The Timbertown Railway features interlocking track pieces that snap together easily. Although it has been built for easy assembly, the track will most likely require some adult assistance during setup. With the help of the included instructions, setup should take approximately 15 minutes. In all, the set requires six "AAA" batteries (not included) -- three for the steam engine and three for the remote control.

The Timber Railway has been designed with smaller children in mind, and older kids will quickly get bored with the railway's compact size and limited activities. However, it is an ideal starter railroad set for younger children, and will provide hours of imaginative play. The set is also compatible with the rest of the GeoTrax set -- buy them all to assemble the ultimate railroad play set.

What's in the Box
Easy Rail Station, elevated mountain with tunnel and working crane, remote control, steam engine, log cart, caboose, conductor action figure, lumber cargo, 15 pieces of track, and instructions.