Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set review: a great way to get young kids into coding

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Price on writing: £54 | Buy now from Amazon

Key specs

Age: Recommended for ages 4 - 10 years | Batteries required: 3 AAA batteries (not included)

What we like

• Suitable for children as young as 4

• Easy-to-grasp concept

• Fun and engaging design

• No screens involved

What we don’t like

• The mouse needs handling with care as forcing it backwards or forwards can damage the wheels and break the axles inside

• Some of the tiles were a bit tricky for little hands to fit together

What Mumsnet users say

“We've got this. It's been a real hit with my 6-year-old.”  (Product recommended by Mumsnet user pepperminttaste)

“I've got this coding mouse for 6yo dd1. It looks good, similar to something they have at school that she loves.” (Product recommended by Mumsnet user Stompythedinosaur)

Our verdict

Encouraging an interest in coding in children as young as four, this award-winning Learning Resources Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set is a great way for young children to learn as they play.

The concept is pretty simple - using a selection of maze pieces and coding cards, create a step-by-step path for robot mouse Colby to follow and lead him to the cheese. This screen-free game helps build some of the key skills involved in programming including problem-solving and sequencing, starting off with basic activities and games before progressing to more challenging circuits.

Colby the mouse was a big hit in our house with my four and six-year-old working together (gasp!) to get the robot rodent around several courses of varying degrees of difficulty. There are plenty of different courses to build, and the option to create your own, so it should keep kids entertained for hours.

Little wonder, then, that the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set is one of Mumsnet’s best kids coding toys.

What's in the box?

• Robot mouse

• 16 maze grids

• 22 maze walls

• 3 tunnels

• Cheese wedge

• 30 double-sided coding cards

• 30 double-sided activity cards

Read next: Best robot toys to make STEM learning come alive

Is the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set easy to set up?

The setting up process was quite straightforward. Colby requires three AAA batteries (not included) and you will need a cross-head screwdriver to open the panel to install them. The maze pieces snap together to form a large board and the maze walls and tunnels can be slotted in the appropriate places. 

Read next: Best STEM toys guaranteed to make learning fun

How do you use the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set?

Choose an activity card and set up the maze grid pieces, maze walls and tunnels as shown on the card. The mouse and cheese are then put in place as pictured. The goal is to get the robot mouse to the cheese wedge. The coding cards, featuring various directions, are used to help the child plan the mouse’s route and then the sequence is programmed in using chunky, colourful and easy-to-understand buttons on the top of the mouse. 

The concept is very easy to understand and both my four and six-year-old picked up on what was going on and what was required very quickly. Getting Colby the mouse around the maze, without crashing into the maze walls, clipping the tunnels or straying from the tiles, took a little longer to get the hang of.

My six-year-old got into it more than her younger sister, and she spent ages guiding Colby around the maze before deciding to put the mouse in hyper mode and let it run wild around the conservatory.

That said, my four-year-old did come back to the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set on her own and spent a good amount of time engrossed in the task at hand. As she can be easily distracted, I’m very impressed that the robot mouse managed to hold her attention for so long.

Read next: The best toys for 4-year-olds as recommended by parents

Is the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set good value for money?

Retailing at £54 on Amazon at the time of writing (February 6th 2024), this may seem a little on the pricey side, but you get a lot of accessories for your money, plus the activity set certainly has replayability. There are 20 different maze options on the enclosed cards, and there is the opportunity for your child to show their creative side by creating their own courses for Colby to work his way around. 

For educational and entertainment value, I feel that the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set is good value for money and I would highly recommend this set to anyone who wants to introduce a young child to the world of coding.

Read next: Best kids' headphones: ear-safe options for kids of all ages

How we tested

Laura Cooke is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and lives in Sussex with her two children, aged four and six. Laura tested the Code & Go Robot Mouse Activity Set with her children and the product was scored on how easy it was to set up and use, taking into account both the educational and entertainment value of the set.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.