I got this for my daughter, who is almost nine, but after trying it out, I am worried that it might be too challenging for her. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for anyone younger than 8. After reading the instructions, the game is pretty straightforward, but you must double-check that each puzzle is set up correctly before solving it. I messed up on the setup of one and got frustrated that I couldn't solve it. It requires putting the correct piece (color coded) in the right location (there are 56 to choose from, and they are shape, number, and color-coded), oriented in the correct direction, attached to the correct length of the clip, and attached to the right peg. The instructions explain how to do this, and it is easy if you are careful, but it is a level of complexity that would be hard for a younger child. This type of game would be fun for travel, but unfortunately, there are too many small pieces, and the ball is often falling out when you are trying to solve it, so that it would be a nightmare in the car or on a plane. However, it does come with two extra balls in case you lose one. I also don't see them going well in a multi-player scenario. You must hold and move it around to visualize where the pieces should go and play the maze once you have assembled it. You could take turns solving puzzles or even make up your puzzles to solve for each other, but working on the same puzzle together would be challenging. The pieces snap together nicely and hold tight while you are solving the puzzles, but the tradeoff is that they are also quite difficult to disassemble, and I am worried that my child won't have to strength to take this apart independently. Once you have solved the puzzle, you get to play it, and this is where you will need some skill to get the ball to "free fall" from one cup to another. Luckily it comes with funnels that you can use to help you until you get better at it, which will suit kids because it is quite a challenge. It is a fun and challenging puzzle game, and I look forward to working on it with my daughter, and she will enjoy using it for a long time.
