Jenn Satterwhite

My daughter absolutely loves to build things. Her favorite project in school was building a robot from scratch. I thought what better toy for her would there be than an interactive toy robot that is also an online game? It seemed like a perfect fit! She was overjoyed to be included in this product review. (She is very adept on the computer and loves interactive games. She has outgrown some online and then there are some that she fully enjoys but the inaction with the other players is too free and advanced.  This online portion of the game seemed to be a great fit- not too young for her and not too interactively advanced.

What makes these robotic warriors unique is they exist in both the virtual world and the real world. Meaning you can play both online and offline which is good because like most parents, I don’t want my child tethered to a computer all day or during her all of her free time. If both your child and your child’s friend have a Mechatar they can use their remote controls to actually battle each other while offline. When your child is online, she can complete online mission and choose to ally with other players  battle their rivals.  Once your child actually completes some missions online, you can teach your Mechatar to complete missions offline.

What we liked about our Mechatar:

• We didn’t have to have two Mechatars to have fun. We could do solo missions such as the Swarm Hunter mission. This is much like a came of “hot/Cold” but with a robot. (You drive your robot around to find an object and it lets you know through beeps whether or not you are close.)
• We had a blast scaring the dog with the Mechatar. (I am not suggesting you torment your pets with this robot. I am merely saying it was an awesome side bonus for us.)
• The remote control is easy to use (even for a mom, duh!) and most importantly, there is no antenna to break. (I have a collection of remotes with broken antennae.)
• You actually have to use strategy to play with your Mechatar.
• There is a “hint” button to help you figure out what to do next when you get lost on what to do next.

What limitations we found with our Mechatar:

• It didn’t automatically shut off which caused a constant draining of the battery until she remembered to turn it off.
• There wasn’t as many options online to keep her entertained for extended periods. She felt though you needed strategy to complete missions, there wasn’t a lot of creativity needed.
• The Mechatar’s mechanical voice is very loud. (Not to mention how loud it is on my wooden floors as it slams its “wheels” down.)
• Though you don’t need two Mechatars to play, it would add to the fun to be able to battle another one. This is more a suggestion if you want to get the most out of it.

Final Verdict:

The Mechatar is a lot of fun and does a wonderful job of using blended reality. None of the things we mentioned that were less than positive would keep us from recommending this amazing toy to other children.  I believe this will become a must have toy for boys AND *girls this Fall. It is fun to play online and offline. You can play with your friends. You have to use logical thinking to be successful. Most importantly: IT IS FUN!

*(Originally this was for boys to review but my daughter loves robots and all things robots. So, do not let the fact that it is marketed to boys keep you from this amazing toy. My daughter enjoyed it and your daughter just might have as much fun as well!)

Save 10% on your purchase of a Mechatar Robot
Use the coupon code MECHMOM to receive 10% off your purchase at iloverobots.com. This code is good until November 30, 2011.

Disclosure:  I was selected to participate in this sponsored post series by Clever Girls Collective.