This is a great toy crossbow made by a real crossbow manfacturer. But the darts that come with it are dangerous, so immediately toss them in the garbage and go get a set of foam NERF(tm) darts. These plastic ones will shatter if they hit a solid object. The foam ones will do little if no damage, and yet still fly straight for about 25 ft. Long term the string will cut the back of the foam dart, but hey it takes a while for that to happen.

WARNING to Parents: As always things which can shoot projectiles which can put an eye out, should always be used under adult supervision. The foam darts are unlikely to do this damage, but there is nothing about this crossbow which prevents anything unstable or unsuitable from being launched.

Other than that it is great fun. It's an incredibly simple design and nearly indestructable. The Foam darts fly straight and with some practice you should be able to hit what you aim at for about 20 to 25 ft. 5 stars

Caution toss the darts, they are junk and will crack/splinter if they strike a hard surface. Get some basic Nerf darts and you'll love this toy. Accurate, relatively safe. Fun. What more could you want? (Super simple design, rugged has survived the office wars of '97, '98, '99, '00, '01, '02, 03, '04 and is still going strong. 5 stars

I ordered this for my six year old. Based on the other reviews I expected a well made toy and it is everything the reviewers said it is. It's built sturdy and works great.
I didn't buy any nerf arrows as others have suggested. My son likes the darts that came with this crossbow. They work well and seem to be a fair quality. They don't fly far and wide but he just wants something that hits the target. I don't expect the darts to last very long so we will replace them at some point in the near future possibly with nerf darts.
5 stars

This crossbow is so cool. This other guy is right--load it up with Nerf Dart and it's really good. Also, if you buy the extra darts, its not a 3-pack, its a 6-pack so you get nine total. Anyway, this is really cool. Buy it! 5 stars

We purchased one of these for our oldest son when he was 3...4 years later it is still the favorite toy for not only my sons but also any friends that come along. It was a little stiff at first and hard for his little hands to pull back but now he can do it with ease. This is our second purchase of this product and now I am wondering if I should have bought a third!

It could be dangerous if a child uses it to shoot other objects such as marbles BUT with a little supervision it brings hours of entertainment. 5 stars