Ideas for toys for a very spirited (almost) 18 month old....

[lunarx]

that are on the reasonable price side...

ds is nearly 18 months old and is what most term as 'spirited' i am wondering what other moms would suggest to be good mentally stimulating toys for this age range. i gave him a chunky puzzle this morning and he seems to love it, so thats one thing!
he is outgrowing all of his 'old' toys..and keeping him interested in play during playtime can be a challenge lately...

thanks in advance!

cd/with great action songs dd listens and dances to hers for hours. It has a book attached and so you can learn the words and sing along - they aren't so much nursery rhymes.
chunky lego that he can build towers ours came with a trolley that she can put things in and pull around or be pulled around in it which she loves. dd just turned 20mths.

puzzles are good
is he just approaching the age for role play stuff, eg pretend kitchen, or work bench or whatever?
musical instruments

A chalk board keeps my DD amused for hours, and has done since about 18 months (also "spirited") - I think she loves the freedom of being able to attack it however she likes, and wipe it off again!

elc garage with 15 little cars worked for my son at this age.