Jurassic World Maze Puzzle Age 4+ Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by Laura B
It’s all about the dinosaurs in our house, and it has been, for our eldest, for the past five years and more.
Yep! He could list their names by the age of 3 and would spend hours with his head in his dinosaur encyclopaedia, from age 2 onwards. He could name all of them, pretty much by the age of 4, and when he was 5, his little world was totally dinosaur themed. I believe that these fun facts make me more than qualified to assess and review dinosaur gifts and this is predominantly down to my experience of searching and choosing unique and raw’some dinosaur presents.
I was asked to review the JURASSIC WORLD Maze Puzzle and, for all the above reasons, this was a task that I was more than happy to accept.
I would describe the JURASSIC WORLD Maze Puzzle as a dinosaur-themed, exciting and entertaining tabletop maze game with a bit of action thrown in for good measure. It is a game that has been inspired by the new Jurassic World Rebirth film.
On opening the box, you will find the contents, carefully packaged – including 2 x marble-sized balls, 4 x cardboard dinosaur cut outs, a green marble run that features in the centre of the maze, alongside 4 varying and differing green maze sections, a Jurassic World Rebirth themed cardboard backdrop and blue handle pieces/frame to hold the maze together. It is easily assembled with each of the dinosaur cut outs, ‘guarding’ and ‘controlling’ each checkpoint.
Basically, you drop the marble into the starting point and use the blue base handles to move the marble with skill through the maze. This simple game provides a lot of fun, although it does involve a degree of skill as you move the ball in different directions through the maze, via the 4 checkpoints before heading for the goal. Once you have manoeuvred your marble through all 4 of the checkpoints you subsequently have to climb up the central marble run tower to make it to freedom.
Within each section of the maze, there are ‘scary’ dinosaurs who will try and block your mission of making it to the end. You will need to avoid the Titanosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Spinosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The game includes interchangeable maze units, ensuring that with a simple change of setup, you can go up against a new challenge each time you play!
The EPOCH Games Jurassic World Rebirth Maze Challenge is recommended for children aged 4 and above. There is a safety warning regarding the small parts that are included which would make it unsuitable for children under 3, due to choking hazards.
I’d suggest that the child this is intended for would need to be fairly dexterous in their fine motor skills, as you need to coordinate moving the marble through the maze using the base handles, plus they would need good hand-eye coordination to navigate around obstacles, also there is a need for a some brain power, to use strategy to plan your route through the 4 checkpoints alongside, the need for patience and the ability to concentrate to complete the challenge.
With that all in mind, this game fosters educational benefits, as it will support an improvement in your child’s coordination skills and help them develop strategic thinking skills, making it a good choice as a Christmas gift for supporting and promoting these skills and abilities in your younger child while at the same time ensuring some dinosaur-themed fun and enjoyment.
This is a single-player game, although I would suggest it is more fun – when turn-taking takes place, between siblings or friends to add a competitive edge.
Negatives – I had expected it to be bigger once it was made up, that being said the size wasn’t an issue for my child when playing and they loved it.
Positives – The game supports developmental skill development and concentration. And it doesn’t need batteries!
Rating: 4/5
RRP: £20 currently reduced to £14.99
This product can be purchased from Amazon, Smyths Toys, The Entertainer, Argos and all good toy stockists