Expensive but so worth it! My 5 year old really loves it and can play all the tunes (albeit without the right rhythm!) using the notation in the booklets. He has already started to transfer his knowledge to the piano and match the notes. I have subscribed to the book series and am looking forward to where it takes us. My older child, who plays piano, also enjoys experimenting with creating jazzy chords and transferring his piano pieces to the soundbops. The major benefit of this over other music toys is the ability to create chords and see them visually. I also hope that the colour-matching aspect will help my youngest to learn to read music as we progress through the books.