My in-laws got this one for me for Christmas a few years back. Tom's review nails it. It's exactly what it looks like and you can probably tell if its something you want just by looking at it. It's a nice production, so if it appeals to you, I say go for it.
The most important thing here is that level 3 fits toddlers, 4 and 5 are a logical extension as they grow up, and levels 6 and up - is for this challenge lovers. That and the enormous amout of challenges, is worth it for parents (for their kids). For a parent, it's really great to have at home from a very young age. And move away from it when needed.
Whoa, this version is huge! I have plastic one and can fit it in the pocket so I take it for my kid on vacations etc. Also, on the net there are many other shapes to build to make it more fun (mostly animals). And also you can remove one shape and recreate it with other penta but 3x bigger. We did it many times. Anyway, it's just a nice small (at least my version) puzzle to play from time to time. For sure not for a long sessions.
I have Kanoodle Extreme which is the same thing but small enough to fit in your pocket and it also has 3d puzzles where you make pyramids. It has about 300 puzzles which is more than enough. IIRC I picked that up for about 20 CAD so like 15$ for you Americans. Tom gave this a 6, I'd give Kanoodle Extreme an 8 would recommend if you want this but pocket sized and cheaper.
Being a 30 years old game, it makes sense you feel it's a 30 yo one! The family version is more gamified :) but it's more an activity than a game indeed. The twist of the classic version being than you only play with 5 blocks pieces, and the family one has plenty more...
