It must have been 4-5 years now since I first saw a Robo Raptor ... probably the world's most fascinating toy - and I am a fully grown adult.

I'd been teaching a class in a small seaside town and the subject turned to Xmas and I mentioned the Robo Raptor and somebody said that Marks & Spencer had them in - and you could play with them. Well, that settled it. I was off! The minute class was out, I was in my car and driving 20 miles to the county capital town. I parked up and took every short cut I knew about to dash to Marks and Spencer, up the escalator ... and there in front of me was The Beast. The Robo Rraptor.

He was there, about 4' long from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail - and nobody else was near him! I lunged and touched the Robo Raptor, to claim my prize. Nobody else was going to get a look in. I'd waited for this, I'd not seen a Robo Raptor before .. and here one was, out of his box, batteries in him, the all clear to play with him - and nobody else had seized the moment before me.

I looked for the Power On switch and flicked it. OH NOES ... batteries were dead! Well, I wasn't going to give up. Oh no. I carried him carefully to the Customer Service Desk and assertively requested that they replace the batteries so I could have a go. They could see I was serious, I meant it, they had to get new batteries in because this mad lady wasn't going to take no for an answer.

It was only a short wait, but it seemed like forever, my mind churning with the expectation that they'd come over and explain to Madam that they had no spare batteries, but this was Marks and Spencer ... renowned for customer service, so, as if by magic, a new packet of batteries appeared. I eagerly put them in and turned on the Robo Raptor.

Ah ... 4' long... where to play?? I was just 8' away from Ladies' Lingerie. Ideal, they had these mannequins, posing in the latest lingerie, and the pedestal bases would make an ideal seat for me to perch myself and give the Robo Raptor a good run around.

Well, I was there about an hour. Oh, the fun I had. Robo Raptor has such life-like movements, he's almost real. It was fascinating, enchanting. I couldn't leave him alone ... and luckily for me, nobody wanted to mess with the mad lady sat in lingerie playing with the dinosaur toy!

That was probably the best hour of fun I've had for years.

So, if you're thinking of getting a Robo Raptor, do it. Go check them out. Whether you're 4 or 40 or 104, you'll just love the Robo Raptor. He's cute, endearing, enchanting - and remote controlled.

Brilliant! Robo Raptor: probably the best robot toy in the world!

Photos by: Robo Raptor: norman_baboo/Norman Richards