Roborover ($69.99 list), the newest toy robot from WowWee, is not quiet. But kids (recommended ages 6 and older) are sure to have a blast with it. With its tread wheels, flashing lights, and seemingly never-ending patter, Roborover will more than match the energy and imagination of any child. Adults, on the other hand, are going to want to keep the robot's remote control handy, or at least know where the off-button is when all that activity goes into overdrive.

WowWee dubs the Roborover an "exploration buddy," and it's certainly tricked out to take on uncharted territory—even if that just means underneath the kitchen table. The robot is made of yellow hard plastic with black trim. Instead of feet, it has tread-based caterpillar tracks, and it's equipped with headlights (turned on and off by the Headlight button on the remote). Roborover's tread wheels allow it to drive over objects up to a 15-degree gradient, or about an inch high. If it falls forward about 45 degrees, Roborover can still continue moving on its treads and talk, but the remote doesn't function in this position. There are two LED eyes and a mouth. The cap on Roborover's head? Just there for decoration.

Now, my battles with monster twist ties from hell are legendary. But I have to hand it to WowWee--this packaging almost brought me to my knees. We're talking bionic twist ties, the kind that take pliers to unwind; I used those after I had broken several fingernails. Then came removing the tape and installing the batteries, for which you'll need a Philips screwdriver. [Update: A reader suggests using a standard pair of wire-cutters to defeat the twist ties, instead of trying to unwind them.]

The Roborover takes four C and three triple-A batteries (for the robot and remote control, respectively). To turn Roborover on, put him on a flat surface, then press the black button on the right side of the base. Then brace yourself: After a couple of seconds, Roborover starts moving and talking, something that quickly becomes a cacophony. You can turn the sound down simply by keeping your finger pressed on the Stop button on the remote until the desired volume is reached.

Surrounding the Stop button are four arrow buttons that direct Roborover to move left, forward, right, and backward. The Demo button activates three routines to show off the robot's movements, as well as its "personality" and expressions; Roborover even has a few jokes in its patter.

Pressing the Seek button down has Roborover scanning the area to find you. The Explore button allows the robot to explore its environment without needing commands. It even comments on what it finds. The Lookout button has Roborover scanning around. When it detects any movement or new objects, an alarm sounds. Once the robot exits Lookout, it will then relate what it saw. Finally, the Game button activates a couple of games, both of which ask the user to repeat the path that Roborover performs.

All this is well and good, but what did my son think? When he first activated Roborover, the noise took him aback. But after some initial hesitation, Jake took the remote and started pressing away. People, it was ugly, but in a good way: Robots talking and moving, kid laughing, my husband looking at me as if I were out of my mind for bring it home, me looking sheepish. Jake needed some to adjust to the arrows (and even longer to learn to get out of the way when Roborover changed direction), but he soon got the hang of it. The games weren't really that interesting to him in the beginning, but the Seek function had him pretending that Roborover was his sidekick on some adventure that involved Darth Vader.

Overall, Roborover certainly has the bell and whistles to make any child happy to have it around. The packaging needs work so that it's less work to wrestle with. It's not meant for outdoor play (there goes mucking in the snow this winter), but on bad-weather days, this should be a good way to keep your little one from getting bored inside. Just remember the volume button, OK?

Post by Laarni Almendrala Ragaza