Fisher-Price Shake ‘n Go! XTREME Speedway

If only my older boys’ racing sets held together as nicely as the Fisher-Price Shake ‘n Go! XTREME Speedway, I’d have logged a lot fewer hours building, rebuilding and ultimately forgetting how to build (ugh, those darn directions…) the many lesser raceways that’ve landed beneath our Christmas tree.

Packing 20 feet of chunky, easily snapped-together track pieces, the set lets you zip, jump and loop-the-loop in a variety of different ways. Two Shake ‘n Go XTREME race cars are included, but other Shake ‘n Go cars work just as well — simply shake ‘em up, let ‘em go, and delight as the cars fly over ramps, crash through barrels and generally defy gravity.

A note about the batteries: The set includes Includes 3.6 V rechargeable NiMH vehicle batteries, but you may have to put up with some frustration while the kids wait for their cars to charge. (Incidentally, you’ll need four D alkaline batteries for the charger itself.) Amazon is, however, offering the Shake ‘n Go! XTREME Speedway in a $20 cheaper Frustration-Free Packaging version, so you could potentially order it unwrapped, charge the cars while the kids are sleeping, and have everything ready to go come holiday morning.

$64.99 (when ordered in full packaging) with free Super Saver Shipping from Amazon.