I was so excited to try California Exotic's Royal Princess. It's designed to stimulate the G-spot and is endorsed by Sue Johanson of 'Talk Sex With Sue'. What could go wrong?

Things got off to an iffy start with the texture and scent. Made of TPR silicone, the toy is soft and smooth, but also slightly tacky. Unless you're really lubed up, the material can catch and pinch uncomfortably. It smells strongly of silicone, sort of a new car scent that doesn't go away. After two years, I only recently found out it was supposedly bubblegum scented, which is odd in of itself.

Boasting 7 functions, the Princess sounded really great, but sadly all 7 fall short. 1-3 are just a steady vibration, the first being barely anything and the third being barely anything only a little louder. 4 goes from low to high, then back, jerking like a bad clutch. 5 and 6 are short, fast pulses and 7 is three shorts and a long pulse, which just feels like Morse Code. If the functions aren't distracting, they're weak, especially with little to no vibration in the head. This makes clitoral stimulation very difficult, so have a second toy, a hand or a friend on stand-by.

The Royal Princess has 2 buttons: one on/off and one for the functions. They are very similar in size and shape and are located right next to each other. Many, many times while trying to up vibration, I ended up suddenly turning the thing off, which was very frustrating.

An upside to this toy is that it's waterproof. This makes it easy to clean (which is very important with TPR silicone) and can be used in the bath or shower. Other good points are the low noise (though this is a result of the sad vibration) and it conveniently requires only two AA batteries.

The main purpose of the Royal Princess is to provide G-spot stimulation. Personally, this was difficult to achieve. The insertable length is 7 ½ inches, but that's if you can beat the bulb. It's designed to simulate multiple penetrations but just feels like a handball, and is uncomfortable unless you're really warmed up and ready for it. The head is uniquely shaped and is quite flexible, but from the bulb down the shaft is very hard and unyielding. I find all around flexibility/bendability better for reaching the G-spot. This one doesn't have a lot of give and can get a bit stuck.

Overall, sessions with the Princess were filled with disappointment and awkwardness; two things sex toys should eliminate from the sexual experience. If you want a fun and easy orgasm, try something else; if you like a challenge, try the Royal Princess.