Hape believe that toys don’t need to be made from plastic or powered with batteries to entertain. This expertly designed wooden marble run is a fast-paced medieval themed game, the marbles are placed at the tip of the rotary tower, twist the flag and watch them get released one by one onto this marble run. With an angry Griffin threatening to attack the castle, the marbles are released to protect it with unique features, like a watermill, rotary tower and drawbridge. The castle is made from strong, child-safe materials, recommended from ages 4 and up. The Medieval Quest comes disassembled in 217 piece that are easy and entertaining it fit together, it builds into a castle with colourful wooden blocks that can be decorated with detailed stickers featuring bricks, windows, torches and ivy.

There are also small plastic accessories like the accelerators, watermill and thin raising pieces. Our little test subject enjoyed putting the castle together, the parts fit together easily and pull apart quickly, so they can be tidied away at night. There are a variety of ways to assemble the castle and it will take a bit of effort, the instructions are fairly clear but little ones might need assistance as the pictures are quite small. Getting all the pieces in the right place is crucial to providing the marbles are clean path, it will either encourage problem solving and the child will enjoy working out how to make it work properly or they will get frustrated that it’s not working and walk away. Most of the edges are glossy and smooth however the edges on the spiral are rougher which slows the marble down to the point that it sometimes stops and if the marble drops too hard on the plastic, accelerators can pop out. The components rest together rather than firmly connect, it isn’t very stable, but we didn’t have any accidental demolitions, our test subject is a gentle player. I think many people could be put off by the high asking price for the Hape Medieval Quest but if you can get past this it is an entertaining toy that encourages creativity and problem solving. RRP £129.99

3.8 out of 5

Buy now

Pros

Entertaining

Creative

Problem solving

Colourful

Variety of set ups

Cons

Expensive

Delicate structures

Instructional pictures could be clearer