Toy Review: The Chronicles of Narnia – Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword

Every little boy (and girl) should have their own sword. I know that I had one growing up. My sibling and I used to play He-Man and She-Ra and we had our own plastic swords so we could defend Castle Grayskull. Swords have come a long way since the days of He-Man. Now you can purchase swords that make sounds, flash, and look realistic. That’s part of the appeal of the Prince Caspian Battle Sword. I don’t care how old you are. If you’re into action and adventure you’ll think this sword is cool.

I had to assign sword time to my son (age 13) and my nephew (almost 4). The two boys didn’t want to share the sword. Both wanted to play with it at the same time. I think it was the neat sound effects that made the sword so popular. Needless to say, the Prince Caspian Battle Sword was a big hit in the Evans household and I have to make sure the boys share and get equal time with the sword as they play out their favorite Narnia (or action) inspired adventure.

Positives & Negatives:

Positives
-Inspires Creative Play
-Features Cool Sound Effects
-Sword looks realistic to Prince Caspian’s sword in the movie
-Relatively Durable

Negatives
-Expensive for a Sword
-Sound Effects aren’t always consistent

Pricing & Availability:
I had trouble finding the Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword online and I haven’t seen this in other retail stores. I was able to find it on Amazon, but since the packaging just lists it as the Prince Caspian Battle Sword it was difficult finding exactly which Caspian sword this was on the site. I ended up finding it listed as the Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword. There are various other swords you can purchase from the series, so if you have more than one child or you want your child to enjoy the sword with his friends you can buy the other swords, such as the King Peter Battle Sword. At Amazon, the Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword is available for $30. While I agree the sword is nice I hardly think it is worth more than $20.

Requirements & Instructions:
The Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword comes with two AAA batteries. Otherwise, you’ll need a Phillips screwdriver to remove the top of the battery case to put your own batteries in. This is what you’ll have to do once the sound effects stop working as the batteries die. Our batteries were already put in the sword we received. Once the batteries are working using the sword is simple. You just flip a switch located near the side of the handle on the sword and the sound effects turn on and off.

The thing I dislike about this switch is it was very hard for me to flip. If it is hard for me then this is going to be a toy that children with limited mobility and strength in their hands and fingers are going to have trouble with, so I’d say this toy isn’t as accessible as it could have been made. Nevertheless, the average child over the recommended age of four won’t have much trouble flipping the switch.

Durability:
The Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword is durable for a sword. My son, the OG Kid, is rather rough with his swords. I don’t know the longevity of this sword’s life, but for now, it has lasted the few weeks we’ve had it without a dent. When I say rough, the boys play very rough. I can’t tell you how many plastic swords my son has broken in the past. This particular sword is made of a harder plastic that has a little bit of give. An adult would have a hard time breaking this toy intentionally.

Ease of Use:
This is a sword and its use is pretty self-explanatory. Your child should have no trouble playing with the Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword. The only thing they might have trouble with is remembering to turn on the switch to make the sound effects come on or forgetting to turn it off and running down the batteries quickly. Either way, with this sword, your child should have a lot of fun playing with this toy.

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
The Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword is fun. I don’t have to be a kid to know that. It’s cool. You can bang it on stuff and it makes noise. What more does any kid want in a toy sword? While I wouldn’t recommend this toy for a kid under four, some boys (as old as my own son – 13) will enjoy playing with this toy even if they aren’t into conventional, imaginary play toys anymore. My son may love the high technology toys like the ipods and computers, but this simple toy made awesome enough sounds to also catch his fancy.

The sword is primarily silver colored. The actual blade of the sword is made of a hard plastic. It isn’t that pliable. I tried to bend it and so did Ashtyn. Neither of us could get it to budge much more than a tiny bit. There is a gold, ribbed handle and a round circle above the place where your child’s hand will go. The button to turn this toy on is on the side. The Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword makes three different sounds. There is the typical sword “clank” sound when two swords hit together. There is a swish sound. There is also is a sound you’d hear if you unsheathed a sword. Considering the sword isn’t sheathed to begin with this sound was slightly redundant. Still, the sounds are fun and annoying for parents. That automatically means your kids will love it.

Bottom Line:
The Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword is not the greatest toy ever invented, but it is a pretty cool sword. If you have a fan of swords or Prince Caspian you’ll definitely want to check this toy out. While it is more expensive than I (personally) think it is worth your child will get many hours, days and perhaps even years of enjoyment when they play with this sword. While it might not be as fun for solo play if your child has a friend with another sword or if your child has one of the other swords themselves the Prince Caspian Battle Sound Sword is going to be something they’ll love playing with during all their “inspired” action sequences.

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Technorati Tags: Prince Caspian, Battle Sword, Sound Effects, The Chronicles of Narnia, Toy Sword, Toy Review

Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.