It's the wheels and the little guy that make this set best
As a father of ten we've had a number of Duplo sets over the years. Whenever we need to replenish our supply (this year being one such time) we look for a new set based on three basic factors: wheels people and price.
Price is a general constraint for us. We're willing to spend $25-$30 for a set of Duplo blocks. They're tremendously durable and you can even run them through the dishwasher (in one of those cages used for baby bottle accessories). Within that price range we try to maximize the number of bricks we get. If wanting only bricks (no special pieces) then you should be able to get 80 or more bricks starting at $20 on sale. If you want those parts (wheels and a character)--and in our experience they are some of the most used parts when the kids play--then you are looking in that $25-$30 range with at least 65 other blocks.
All of our kids especially the boys loved having the wheels. They would make cars and trucks and eventually airplanes and rolling robots. Sure they could make many of these things without the wheels but they seemed to play longer when they were making wheeled things.
Both the boys and girls like the little characters but the girls would often take the Duplo person away to play with other dolls or for other activities. The boys would almost always make the boy a driver or some person who was running from (or fighting) the giant robot tank or whatever they built with the other blocks.
Many people might not think of Duplo blocks as educational but they are a great tool for teaching little ones about colors numbers and matching. It also helps fine-motor coordination as they try to assemble the bricks (especially at the youngest ages). We have a special needs child who was grown very fond of the bricks and really enjoys assembling and disaassembling small stacks of them (this year's purchase was targeted for him).
**A SPECIAL NOTE ON THEME SETS**
Unless you have a specific desire to get your kids the specially themed Duplo sets (e.g. Bob the Builder) I recommend skipping those and getting just a basic set like this one for these reasons:
1) Cost. Themed sets cost more for less. You end up paying for the name/theme and little else.
2) You simply get more blocks with the non-themed sets and more blocks means more fun play.
3) Themeed sets usually have more special (unique) bricks. They can be used with any set but those specialized bricks often aren't used as much (based on our experiences) in general play.
4) Most kids don't keep the sets together as displayed on the box. They like to tear things apart and build new things. Knowing that they will do that anyway it seems to decrease the value of the special theme sets. By the time they are old enough to care about keeping sets togehter (or restoring the set to its original layout after playing with the bricks) the kids are about ready for the first regular Lego set.
**ONE EXCEPTION ON THEME SETS (ANIMALS)**
The only theme sets my wife and I will occasionally purchase are the ones with the animal figures and extra people. These are a great gift for a child who already has a supply of Duplo blocks as they add to the fun.
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