Doctor Who - 18" Voice Interactive Dalek

The Dalek arrives well secured in a huge box. Initial impressions are those of size and attention to detail. Paint and finish are good for a mass-produced toy. 18"/45cm doesn't sound huge but this Dalek has real presence. Sensible touches include an eyestalk and exterminator gun that detatch before they get broken and the plunger (or claw on the assault version) being made from soft-ish plastic. As the plunger arm gets caught on furniture or walls when the unit turns, that liitle bit of "give" should save it from breaking. The light-up "ears" are also sprung-loaded and should take a little abuse. The Dalek's speaker is mounted in the base so it sounds louder on hard floors. The Dalek also runs better on hard floors or thin carpet.

Turn the Dalek on and it runs through a self-test to check its many sensors. There's nothing in the instructions to say what it does if it finds a fault so I assume that this isn't much more than a little son et lumiere show for the kids. The Dalek responds to sound and movement and even infra-red (it says in the instruction booklet). It also has a trembler switch so if you tap it on the head it will grumpily respond. A nice feature is that you have to press a button hidden under one of the gold hemispheres on the body before it can move, which is handy if you're giving a demo on a tabletop. Apart from the comical radiator attack mode, the Dalek will also become uncooperative if left alone for some time and spontaneously refuse to answer any voice commands. When moving on its own, it minces from side to side, looking about as threatening and purposeful as a camp pepperpot.

The voice control isn't much more than a gimmick and leaving the Dalek to wander around on its own leads to it challenging the nearest heat source (usually a radiator) to a fight. Having said that, there's fun to be had finding out what words it will respond to (ie "Garlic", "Halfwit" etc).

My Dalek arrived disabled. It was only able to turn around in circles as one of the motors didn't work. Having taken 15 minutes to free it from its packaging, I decided to venture inside the casing and see if I could fix it. Fortunately the fault was due to a broken wire, which I was able to re-solder. Risking voiding the guarantee has to be weighed against the major engineering job of getting the Dalek back into its packaging if you want to return it. It took me less time to unscrew the Dalek's base and trace the fault than it did to get the thing out of its box!

The radio control option is a good "extra play value" feature but the controller is a nasty cheap piece of plastic. It's all black with no real indication of what any of the levers do. The left and right levers on my controller feel unbalanced (the left is less smooth to operate) and the whole unit feels very unsubstantial compared to the Dalek. It's a shame to let a good toy down with such a tacky accessory.

Having criticised the Voice Control Interactive Dalek so much, I'm still pleased to own one. It's an impressive room ornament for Doctor Who fans and its various interactive gimmicks make it a sure-fire talking point at parties. I'm not sure how long it will hold a child's attention but imagination will surely take over after the batteries run out or the electronics fail!

Where to start - due to my own stupidity, I didn't get the right batteries: you need four D-sizedDuracell Battery Plus D Pack of 4 75051882, a square one for the remote Duracell Plus MN1604 Battery Alkaline 9V Ref 75051888 [Pack 2]and at least 4 AA onesDuracell Plus Battery Alkaline 1.5V AA Ref MN1500B8 [Pack 8]

The day it arrived, we spent nearly 30 minutes taking it out of the box - it's got securing wires attached to specially-designed holes in the Dalek itself, which could probably restrain King Kong if he ever foound himself wronglly-packed into a toy Dalek's box. So remember to get a small paire of thin wirecutters: Automatic Wire Stripper & Cutter For Single Strand & Ribbon Cable

The day after it arrived, I bought the batteries.

The day after that, I realized that I didn't have a small-enough Phillips screwdriver so had to rush out to buy oneMini Philips Screwdriver.

The day after that I finall realized why it wasn't powering up - it was because there's a hidden (well it was to me!) battery compartment UNDER the place where the D batteries go. Yes, I really am that stupid.

But you can take this review seriously. No really. The toy works as it says, but the main problem is that the voice recognition hardware needs a quiet environment to ooperate within. Even then, the speaker has to be patient because he or she will have to wait for the dalek's head lights to flash, indicating that the words have been understood. This combination of room conditions is unlikely to be encountered by the normal Amazon-going parent, especially ones who have just bought his child a radio-controlled Dalek.

In a perfect world, the motors powering the wheels would be quieter - it sounds more like one of Steven Hawking's vehicles rather than a cold-blooded killing machine from the future.

The toy looks perfect - I'm no Dr. Who fanatic (a Whooie?), but it's a convincing replica - my son loves the series and I can testify to this as we went to the Dr. Who exhibition at Earl's Court - the addition of a real laser pointer for the laserbeam rather than just a light would be a great (but potentially dangerous) addition, but one that I'd think was still worth doing!!!

It's easy to steer, with a big round button to trigger a random sentence of speech. All the production budget seems to have gone on the Dalek itself, because the controller looks really cheap - one-colour black plastic where you can make out the swirls that were created as it set in the mold.

So for £50 (the price I paid) it's a great purchase. Check out the same toy listed on Amazon in centimeters, as it can sometimes be cheaper. I winced slightly when my son first tore into the box, as I a) feared for the reliability of the thing), and b) unrealistically wanted to somehow keep it in pristine condition, as I reckon this is easily going to be a classic toy for collectors in a few years' time - I don't think that many have been sold either.

So if you're able to afford to splash a pink note out for a toy, get the Dalek - you'll end up playing with it as much as the recipient. Heed my stupidity, and enjoy.

Any Doctor Who fan will love this dalek - it has provided us with hours of fun. It responds well to spoken commands and trundles around the house searching out intruders and exterminating them!!! One of the best interactive toys I have come across - not cheap but worth the money!!!