Ravensburger GraviTrax review

Back in July, Ravensburger launched a brand new product range called GraviTrax and we recently received a selection to review. Along with the GraviTrax Starter kit (RRP £49.99 but currently £36.99 on Amazon so get in quick for Christmas !), we received three add on sets : Catapult, Gravity Hammer and Magnetic Cannon (RRP £9.99 each). 

I was delighted to discover that it appealed equally to 9-year-old Pierre and to his sister,13-year-old Juliette. They both settled down together, unpacking the boxes and seeing what was inside.

GraviTrax is described by the manufacturer as a "new interactive track system that allows fans to build the track, release the gravity spheres and watch the forces of nature work to create an action-filled adventure." If that's not exciting enough, there are various bonus packs that can be bought, including Trax Extension Pack, Building Extension Pack and Action Loop Add-on, as well as the three that we received.

The Starter Set includes over 100 components, with the aim to build the tracks high and release the "gravity spheres" (otherwise known as metal balls !). It is aimed at children from 8+ to adults and, while we got to grips with it, we started out following the sample tracks suggested in the guide book.

I suggested starting at the very beginning and working upwards through the levels, so our first creation was very simple.

After quickly fitting all the pieces together in the right order, Pierre pushed the button and - hurrah ! - it rolled down to the bottom.

We worked together through the booklet until we were at the most complicated levels.

These were slightly trickier to put together, but I was delighted to see Pierre working out what needed to go where and using his brain to overcome problems. A toy that makes you think - bonus !

If the little ball came flying off or got stuck somewhere, rather than saying "it doesn't work", he would say "ohh, hang on, I need to add more height" or "ahh, that's the wrong piece, what about trying this bit so that it stays on the track?". As a parent, I love the concept of a toy that makes your child think, while quite obviously having great fun.

Meanwhile, Juliette was experimenting with the bonus add-ons and figuring out how they worked, before adding them into Pierre's simple tracks.

Just from sitting back and taking the photos, I could see how the tracks were getting more complex and, as they came across problems, they'd quickly put together a solution.

The tracks utilise a lot of things seen in STEM subjects at school (that's Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and they make kids think about gravity, magnetism and kinetic energy without even realising it. 

While they were busy puzzling things out and coming up with solutions, I'd drop in little educational facts that were met with excited cries of "oh yeah !" and "ohhh so that's why ...". I know I'm a teacher, but I think this must be seen as a bonus by any parent !

It's great to see kids using their imagination and actually learning new things. If you asked them, though, they'd just tell you they were having fun !

If you're wondering what to get the kids for Christmas, you could do a lot worse. Even better news is, the boxes label the age range as 8-99 so they're great for dad, uncles and even grandads too !

for more information : https://www.ravensburger.org/uk/products/gravitrax/index.html

Disclosure : We received the products in order to write an honest review.