Can there really be something that’s cool enough

 and fun enough to lure kids away from their

TV and game consoles?
 

YES:

developed by those clever people at
Rubik’s
 

In the shops now, rrp £15.99, age 6 to adult

IT’S CUBE MAGIC!                   Six games in one

Depending on which game is selected, lights on each face behave in different ways, and flash in various sequences. In most games they must be extinguished instantly, or in the right order.

No matter what the age or level, there really is something for everyone.

A voice prompts players through the six games to play:
 

BLUE – Light Speed: chase the random-sequence series of lights to eliminate them all as the time ticks away.

YELLOW – Rapid Recharge: fully illuminate all six sides of the cube by tapping the lights repeatedly… as they begin to fade away.

GREEN – Pattern Panic: follow and correctly remember the light sequence the cube gives you.

SILVER – Cube Catcher: remove as many flashing lights as you can in 30 seconds – be warned, they keep popping up like moles!

RED – Multi-player Madness: brilliant for the playground. The cube starts to tick… you must put out the flashing light then pass The REVO to the next person. If you don’t get that light out in time, you’re out!

ORANGE – Code Cracker: you’re looking for the code that sets each of the coloured lights going in the fewest number of turns and the shortest time.

Warp speed ahead!

Each game is easy to play but speed, manual dexterity and memory are crucial to becoming a REVO star! And practise, practise, practise really will make perfect scores.

There is no time to hang around with this manic cube in their hands! It will push reflexes to the limit – and it’s even more fun when they do it in competition with their mates and siblings!
 

Their success really is in their own hands  and that’s the real magic of The REVO.
 

Drumond Park’s games, action games, magic sets and puzzles are widely available from most major toy shop chains and independents, plus many department stores, catalogues and online traders

Stockists’ information number is 01506 855577
Or visit their website: www.drumondpark.com
 

The right connections From birth to adulthood, the brain will quadruple in size and restructure itself many times, making billions of electrifying connections as it does so. It is well known that ‘early years’ stimulation is crucial to the development of synapses in the brain – the neural connections that enable high cerebral functions such as logic, creativity and emotional control. Every child needs an environment rich in the right sort of stimulation to help their brains make the right connections. Toys and playmates, as well as parental input, are crucial, especially in the first three years of life. Correct stimulation helps prepare children to accommodate different experiences that they will encounter on their journey through life. The furious pace of brain development in childhood can be seen in the number of skills a baby acquires in a very short space of time – turning over at around 5 months, sitting up at 6, walking at one year, talking, catching a ball, jumping, skipping, reading and writing. All seem laughably simple to an adult who learnt these skills many years ago and uses them daily. But to a ‘first-timer’ they are extraordinary achievements, requiring enormous amounts of brain activity as the synapses are formed and the skills become ‘hard-wired’.         In later childhood and ‘tweenage’, the brain craves new challenges every day – so much so that it’s sometimes difficult to keep up with them! At this stage, more sophisticated skills are developing and talents beginning to emerge. As parents we want to ensure the level of stimulation continues, and that it promotes and fosters life-enhancing skills – memory, concentration, focus, application, the desire to master something they find difficult.