Vtech - Smartville Alphabet Train Station 12 - 36 Months by VTech List Price: $49.99 $39.99 At Amazon on 12-7-2008.

Features One deluxe play set with 25 Smart Parts and 12 learning activities! Move the train to hear the alphabet. Light-up display reinforces letters and objects. Press the track to learn letters, phonics and words. 12 months + Editorial Reviews The Alphabet Train Station packs a slew of activities for preschoolers, usually found in a combination of toys, into one fun-filled set. Toddlers learn their alphabet by moving the train around or pressing letters on the track to hear the letter and object spoken. Letters light up on the display panel for additional reinforcement. When kids get tired of that, they can place one of the 18 plastic animals in the Smart Parts spot to discover which animal they are and the sound they make. Still looking for more? Preschoolers can attempt some composing on the five-key piano or work on telling time by turning the hands on the station clock. As a last resort, kids can ignore all the electronic bells and whistles and just have some good old-fashioned creative play with the animals, the train track, and the seven role-play pieces. As with many Vtech toys, the Alphabet Train Station makes a lot of repetitive sounds that kids love but can get on parents nerves. Thankfully, there is a volume control for quieter play. The toy comes with three short-term "AA" batteries for immediate play out of the box and an automatic shut-off feature kicks in if the station is left untouched for a few minutes. --Cristina Vaamonde Product Description Next stop' SmartVille! This "smart" learning toy fuels your child's imagination with moving, interactive parts. Place the included 28 brainy characters on hot spots throughout the station and watch them talk and teach your child. Wind the hands on the station clock to learn time. Identify letters and their sounds on the light-up display. Move the train across the electronic track to hear the alphabet. With the SmartVille Alphabet Train Station, your child will whisk from whistle stop to whistle stop while learning letters, phonics, vocabulary, numbers, shapes, colors, animals, animal sounds, music and so much more. Requires 3 "AA" batteries (included). Measures 32.5"L x 20"W x 13.5"H. Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism For some reason I thought that the train was motorized and would travel around the track but unfortunately, that is not the case. The child needs to push it by hand. While doing this, music will start to play and then some of the ABC buttons on the track will go off arbitrarily. It's rather confusing and not very rewarding. The track is not well designed as the child needs to lean over or sit on the track to reach the buttons. I bought this hoping to reinforce alphabet learning but this toy does not deliver. The only way to hear the letters is to press the buttons on the track but the stickers are not very interesting and so get ignored. It seems the most functional part of the toy is identifying the animals yet the animals are rather abstract looking. This toy is very disappointing and not very educational. Vtech - Smartville Alphabet Train Station Available from Amazon Updated on 12-7-2008.

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