My youngest granddaughter is a huge fan of all things having to do with the ocean. When my wife and I took her to Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto, I feared we might never get to leave. Needless to say, this amphibious seal looks like the perfect gift for her.I always worry about the sturdiness and performance of toys like this; being fairly pricey, I was even more concerned than usual about this one. The unit comes well packed in a nicely illustrated box. In addition to the seal and its remote, you will find a one page instruction sheet, the required recharging cord for the seal, and a small screwdriver to assist you in accessing the remote’s battery compartment (3 AAA batteries are needed but not included).I was impressed with the size fo the toy! Often times, remote control toys for children are small and have fiddly controls; this one was much better than many we have seen.The seal is nicely coloured and constructed of slightly heavier gauge plastic than I expected. The toy is charged via an easily accessible USB-C port on the bottom of the head near the on/off button for the device. Recharging takes roughly two hours with the resulting charge providing over a half hour of play time.The remote for the unit is a simple affair with the left hand switch controlling forward and backward motion while a second four way switch on the right controls left and right turns, switches the toy into water mode (the default is land mode), as well as allowing access to the device’s demonstration mode. The remote seems quite sturdy and, so far, has been very responsive; the device does need to be quite close to the toy to function well. I will note that, whether using the seal on land or in the water, it is important to remember that, to operate correctly, the left and right turn must be used in conjunction with either the forward or backward buttons; simple pressing the left or right turn buttons will not result in the unit turning. The remote itself is advertised on the product page as being waterproof as long as the waterproof ring for the battery compartment is properly installed. I really do not plan on letting the unit get submerged or overly soaked.As far as performance goes, my wife and I were both very impressed by the unit. On the ground, it works well although it should be noted that very brief presses of the left and right turn switches are all that are required to accomplish a turn. In the water, the unit shines! It is easy to control and moves through the water impressively (although the seal will not swim backwards). I am unsure of the difference between land mode and water mode. Whether on land or in water, we were unable to distinguish between the toy’s performance.Before putting the device into the water, it is important to make sure that the drain plug on the underside of the unit is closed. If the seal is not swimming properly, use the drain plug to let unwanted water that has infiltrated the device escape. The cap for the drain can only be described as minuscule; make sure that you have a safe place you can store it where it doesn’t get lost!I must say that I don’t see this as a plaything appropriate for those under six. It is definitely not a “crawling toy” for babies as suggested on the product page; indeed, the instruction manual states that you should, “Please keep out of reach of children under three years old”. My wife and I both enjoyed playing with this toy and I anticipate that our granddaughter will have a wonderful time with it. With small propellers and a fair number of moving parts, I see it as at toy which requires gentle handling and proper care. At its current price of $32 CAD (with coupon) the toy is competitively priced, providing good value for the fun it provides. Highly recommended.