This is a really sturdy, quality playset.  You can tell from the metal and the plastic that this thing is built to last.  The instructions were straightforward enough but as a note, you MUST go step-by-step (that's a no-brainer for me but some people are incomprehensibly stupid about following instructions).  There is enough variety that my nieces (10 and 12) and my own kids (3 and 5) can have an equally great time on this set and it doesn't look as offensive as I thought it would.  I have had really good experience with Lifetime products; this is no exception.