Fisher-Price Imaginext Spike the Ultra Dinosaur

Spike stands on his hind legs, waves his tail, and roars. View larger.

Big, illustrated buttons make the remote control kid-friendly. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Dynamic remote-control dinosaur with lights and sound effects The Bad: Large size makes traveling with Spike tricky In a Nutshell: An awesome new friend for imaginative kids At a Glance Ages: 3 to 10 Requires: 3 AA batteries

You'll also want to fully charge the included NiMH rechargeable battery before kids get their hands on this dinosaur, a process which may take up to four hours. With all the use Spike will be getting, you'll enjoy the long life of this power solution. The convenient wireless remote requires three AA batteries (not included) for operation.

Innovative and Easy to Control
As soon as you turn him on, spikes on this long-necked dinosaur's back and tail light up, and he starts blinking his eyes. Big, kid-friendly buttons on the durable remote control let you make Spike walk forward, turn left or right, and swing his neck around. At first he can be a little tricky to maneuver, but with just a few moments of practice, he becomes incredibly easy to control.

Holding down any one of the four middle buttons unleashes a new action. Pick between having him stand on his hind legs, swinging his neck around while unleashing a huge roar, or hanging his head low. Another button controls the motion of his jaw. Practice combining movements to snatch up the plastic boulders off the ground or toss them in the air (a skill we never perfected). There's even a mystery button that lets Spike pick any motion he wants to perform. Press it again and again to get a sense of his playful nature. Two modes let you pick between having continuous background music accompany play or just hearing occasional growls, snorts, and roars.

Durable and Adventurous
The well-crafted Spike was still going strong, even after our vigorous testing. We crashed him into table legs trying to make him crawl over obstacles that were just too high, and even though he might not have been happy about the way we dropped the remote control repeatedly, he kept right on doing all those dinosaur things that make him a fun addition to any family. While this ultra dinosaur held up well in the face of vigorous use, he could succumb to the rough reality of enthusiastic play and be damaged by children sitting on him or pulling apart his otherwise sturdy joints.

Spike's large size makes him a great outdoor playmate, but be sure to warn kids that, since he is battery-operated, he shouldn't play in streams or jump in puddles. Cooperative kids will love putting their heads together to think up new places for their friend dinosaur to explore. The height and length that make Spike so much fun may make it hard for smaller children to carry him around, especially if they are headed to a far off relative's house. While this dinosaur is recommended as a companion for children three through 10, even adults are likely to be charmed by Spike's fun-loving personality.

What's in the Box
Dinosaur, remote control, 9.6V NiMH rechargeable battery, battery charger, two plastic rocks, and a plastic bone.