As it says on the box, this is just 650 pieces of assorted lego basic bricks, which whilst can be used to make anything that you can imagine, the end product will basic in itself without the inclusion of wheels, wings, roof tiles, windows, doors and all of the other special elements which make lego more interactive, and personally more fun.
The box also comes with an abundance of small bricks, 1x1 and 1x2 studs which are only really useful when making small scale models, though there is a reasonable amount of large bricks included also. The picture on the box itself is a little misleading, as it shows the bricks in roughly the same amount, whereas in the box there is considerably more red, blue, yellow and white bricks, with the other colours lacking.
For these reasons, it would be better to leave this set as an expansion to an existing lego collection, as there are limitations to what you can really do with this set as a starter. The creator buckets (
Lego 5573 Build & play - limited edition - 643 pieces) would be more suitable for a first time buy, as it also comes in a handy storage box, though this in conjunction with one would be the perfect set for a starter. Though remember to shop around, as lego prices fluctuate heavily from place to place.