As soon as you opened the box, complete with Rolf’s smiling face beaming at you, and gasped at the electronic miracle inside, you just knew you where in for hours of fun. But first you needed to install the small rectangular 9 volt battery (not supplied) this gave you the opportunity to gasp at the amazing array of transistors and other electronic guppins inside, although it was best not to try and understand what all this technical wizardry did for fear of your brain exploding ! After twenty unsuccessful attempts to get the battery to stay in it’s allotted space, nestling on a small piece of protective sponge, you just jammed the back on any old-how and now with a flick of the on/off switch and grasping the ergonomically designed stylus in your hand you could finally make some music.

This was where the problems began, because although Rolf could have claimed a place in the London Symphony Orchestra on the back of his Stylophone playing expertise, as demonstrated by the masterful rendition of "The William Tell Overture" on the floppy 7-inch record supplied free, a mere mortal child would have been better off making music by whistling through his arse ! It soon became clear that the Stylophone was merely a toy, not a musical instrument, and the novelty of playing the few basic tunes contained in the manual wore off quicker than the "Arrow-Wedge" decal on the Raleigh Chopper you also got that Christmas (if you were lucky !).