Oh Geckobot, how I love you and hate you at the same time. Depending on the concentration levels and perseverance of your child, you might want to set aside yourself a day to put this together as chances are they will wonder off. The 8+ age rating is maybe a bit of a stretch but all kids are different and would recommend a few years older. So, what is the Geckobot? It is a wall-climbing (when it feels like it) robot that has a motorised air suction system on smooth and glossy surfaces, it uses a battery-powered motor that drives a gear system (that you will painstakingly put together), this produces a rotating motion that makes the legs go in a similar walking style to a real gecko. At the same time, the gear system makes the air pump to form a vacuum on the feet on the wall and blows out air to release the other two feet so it can step off and move forward. Sounds clever, right? Well it is but it isn’t perfect, any dirt on the suckers or if you use it uneven surfaces, the Geckobot won’t grip on. During other times it worked too well and wouldn’t let go of the wall, we suspect this maybe because of some slight condensation increasing the vacuum on the sucker.

As well as strutting about in gecko form, the kit can also be used to make a robotic arm, crawling inch worm, smartphone holder, suction tow truck and car, ellipsograph (yeah google it, I had too), and suction gun. They all encourage experiments and learning about air pressure and mechanical physics. You will need a tiny Philips screwdriver, like sunglasses screw tiny, a measuring tape, ruler and 2 AAA batteries, there is nothing more gutting (and more likely to start and argument) than not being able to play with your Christmas present because you don’t have the right gear. I sort of loved how much trickier it was to assemble than I expected, and it is nice to work together as adult and child to put it together. Challenging the child isn’t a bad thing but what I hated was the inconsistency in how well it worked. After all the labour intensive effort, you want it to be perfect every time, so it could become a bit of a let-down. So, I’m left on the fence with this one, its adaptable, cute, educational, runs great on the floor but the if the main thing that attracts you is the ability to run around on the wall, I’d probably think again. RRP £45

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3 out of 5

Pros

Educational

7 different forms

Solid pieces

Pro/con

Time consuming and complicated to put together

Cons

Vertical climbing feature hit and miss

Gets through batteries quickly

Might need to get screw driver especially