Gadget: Dr Who Ride-in-Dalek

I ordered this sample in the naïve hope that they’d got the age range wrong at 3-6 years.

The Ride-in-Dalek comes in a massive, Christmas tree-quaking, excitement-generating box. Apart from the base, which houses the 6 volt mobility scooter-style battery, the whole structure is inflatable. It was a truly ominous sight, after 30 minutes of frenetic pumping, to see the Dalek guns slowly emerging to complete Dr Who’s 128cm tall (4ft) nemesis. Christmas tip: make sure to charge the battery before the big day, it took at least eight hours of electricity sucking in my tests for approximately one hour of playtime.

Onto the fun stuff – once powered up, the Dalek comes to life with pulsating blue lights around the bumper, while the steering wheel commands ten different sound effects and Dalek phrases. I guarantee you’ll be sick of “Exterminate!” by Boxing Day.

A bit like an inflatable dodgem car, the Ride-In-Dalek provides 360 degree movement with a max speed of 3km per hour. I diregarded the age limit and straddled the Dalek in a most ungainly fashion. Suffice to say, it felt a good deal faster than 3km per hour as I hurtled towards the kitchen.

At £199, this is a truly epic Christmas gift that will cause utter chaos on Christmas Day and beyond.

Dr Who Ride-in-Dalek

£199.99, from www.argos.co.uk and www.firebox.com