The Nerf Rebelle Guardian Crossbow with 6 Darts is a soft dart gun made of plastic, suitable for children aged 8-11 years. My daughters had a lot of fun playing with this toy. The crossbow firing works like a pump action gun. Slide the pump action mechanism on the underside of the crossbow forward and back sets the bow into firing position. Then pull the trigger to fire a dart. Then repeat as the crossbow can hold up to 6 darts.