My son was SO excited to get this set for Christmas! Everything works as described. The only disappointment for me was that Thumper's tracks/wheels don't actually turn. If the set is on a slick surface like a train table or wood/linolium floor, Thumper will just slide around instead of the wheels turning. This was fine for us, though, and didn't slow down the fun at all!
We bought this for our daughter's 2nd birthday and it was a huge hit. There is plenty of track to create different arrangements and some of the pieces can be either road or track. Love the boulder (and it really works!) and that the set comes with three trains so there are enough to share. But most of all we like that it captures the interest of older kids too. Our 4.5-year-old can't get enough of the track and her friends like it too.
My grandson plays with this every day and is always finding new ways to put it together. The toy is extremely well made and can handle rough handling by a 3 year old.