Amidst the seemingly endless commercial bandwagon that accompanies a new Star Wars film there are items of charm and interest; items not designed simply to fleece the indulgent parents of spoiled, sulky children. While there is undoubtedly a place in every pre-teens bedroom for themed curtains, Lego and onesies, there are pieces of merchandise that do not make you want to give up all hope for society in the wake of a tide of commercial consumerism. A little extreme? Maybe, but these two new editions in the Star Wars Construction Book series will restore a little of your (Jedi) faith.

The format is a simple one. Each book follows a basic story populated with various puzzles and problems for little padawan’s to solve. Whether it’s searching for Millennium Falcon-themed words in an asteroid belt of mixed up letters or learning how to successfully draw an Ewok (and we all know how hard that is don’t we?), these books are highly fun and entertaining. The crowning challenge, if one were needed, is to build a replica (from reinforced cardboard) of either the Millennium Falcon itself or an Imperial AT-AT. At 12cm and 14cm high respectively these are well conceived finales to an eager child’s journey through the book.

There are a couple of caveats to all this educational entertainment, however. The puzzles themselves slant quite low on the challenge scale, being designed for younger children, while the construction element can be a little fiddly, and potentially frustrating for the same child. Put simply these are terrific books that will offer a pleasant afternoon’s distraction, but adult supervision, if only to provide an extra pair of hands for the build itself, would be recommended.

If this was the festive period, these would be great stocking fillers. Otherwise, they’d make a great end of term treat.

STAR WARS SMUGGLER’S STARSHIP / STAR WARS BATTLE STATIONS ACTIVITY BOOKS / PUBLISHER: EGMONT / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW