When my little boy had his 1st birthday we had some money given for him. What to buy? Well we kitted him out with some new clothes and had £30 left over. So off to Toys R Us we went.

The train engine is bright red in the main, with yellow wheels and buffer to the front. There are blue sections down the sides and the face of the engine is also blue. On the top is the funnel which is green and two rails down the sides are also green. The rails have different coloured leaves attached which spin around and slide along. The engine has a compartment which is for the girrafe to stand in. This has a tray in the bottom which triggers songs when it is pressed. So when you stand the giraffe in it the tunes start. This plays four different short songs all about animals. Each tune is only about 4 lines long. The funnel at the front of the train can be pressed down. This makes it light up and play the main tune 'All aboard' This is a little longer. The train also moves along slowly when this is pressed and whilst the tune plays. My little boy was a little bit scared by the train moving at first so we were grateful for the sliding button which stops the movement. The train still sings the tune and lights up though. After a few attempts he overcame his fear! There is another yellow button on the top of the engine which plays different animal noises when pressed. This as well as the songs triggered by the tray runs in sequence so can become a little repetitive. There is a switch on the engine which turns the volume down or turns the sounds, lights and movement off.

The giraffe is yellow as you would expect a giraffe to be! Its legs, neck and head all move. As you move any part it makes a clicking sound. At the bottom of each leg is a coloured foot. Each is a different colour and each has a different texture. On the legs and the neck the giraffes spots are raised to create texture. The giraffe can stand up, sit on its hind legs and sort of lie down. Its ears are suitable for chewing for teething babies too.

As I stated earlier my little boy was a bit wary of this to start with. I initially thought it would be another toy that goes to the back of the cupboard, but I was wrong. Once he had got over his fear his face started to light up when the train moved. He is only just over a year and at the moment he plays with it as separate toys. He loves to carry the second carriage around the house by the monkey bars. He plays with each of the animals on their own. He tends to play with the engine on its own, whenever I attach the second carriage it doesn't stay attached for long! He has also grasped the concept of putting the giraffe in the engine to make the songs play. He is a bit heavy handed with this bashing it more than putting! The train and the animals all seem quite sturdy and would withstand a fair amount of battering. The animals have a surface that wipes clean of sticky fingers easily. The age stated on the product is from 6 months onwards. I would say this is about right. I think this will be played with for a while yet.

The all aboard song that plays with the funnel is very catchy. You find yourself singing along to it. All the songs are sung in the same very happy voice and could get irritating! Each song deals with a different concept. Different colours, sizes of animals, discovering animals and animal noises. Because they are quite short I think they would become familiar to your child fairly quickly although adults would find them repetitive as I am already.

As well as this set, you can also buy add on animals in their own push and pull cars. There is a lion and a zebra option. Each can be attached to the train or played with in their own right. Also available are a Tiger, Hippo, Panda, Pig, Kangaroo and Crocodile which each have their own features and can ride on the train. There are 5 other Amazing Animal items which I have found available which are based on a similar theme but are not related to the train. There may be other animals or items that I have not come across.

I am extremely pleased with this purchase. When I saw the price I did wonder whether it was good value or if we were paying for the Fisher Price name. The toy is good quality and has wonderfully bright colours. With the add ons that are available I believe this will become one of my sons favourite toys. I have already suggested some of these for his Christmas presents to relatives. The only negative thing I have to say about the train is that it could have maybe had more songs to make it a little less repetitive.