Passion For Puzzles

More than a month ago I wrote about a new Sudoku variant called KenKen although sometimes it's also called Square Wisdom.

As I like this type of puzzle I went looking for some more KenKen puzzles. You can find KenKen/Square Wisdom puzzles via TimesOnline.co.uk and also via a KenKen Puzzle Blog.

Also I found a handy KenKen Calculator which helps you to find to solve KenKen Puzzles by giving you a list of possible options.

Tags: KenKen | Square Wisdom

Twizzle is a Flash puzzle game by Booblebrook. The objective is simple, just move the ball from the center to the outside ring.

In the yellow rings, you can jump back and forth by usining the arrow keys, but on the grey rings you have no control over the ball, and the objects your ball collides with then determine its path. When you get to the mid levels, there are objects that change the direction of a ring, holes that drop you back to the start, and so on. Happy Puzzling !

Tags: Twizzle | Puzzle Game

Plop Plop Lite is a Flash puzzle game that plays like Tetris but works like Collapse, Puyo Puyo and Street Puzzle Fighter, but different in its own way.

Make a group of four or more plops of the same color. To absorb plops, hold down the H-key to charge the plop. Then drop the plop on a group of three or more plops of the smae color as the charging plop. By playing it the smart way you can also make a chain combo to charge up your multiplier bar and get lots of extra points!

Game control: A=Left, D=Right, S [hold down]=Drop, G=Color Swap, H [hold down]=plop charge, Escape = Pause/unpause Game. Happy puzzling!

Tags: Plop Plop Lite | Puzzle Game

Foldit is a revolutionary new computer puzzle game enabling you to contribute to important scientific research,

Fold-it is a 3D puzzle game, basically, where the object is to augment shapes so that there are no "clashes", (caused by the twiggy things that branch out from the backbones) and various other criteria. The puzzles start out easy, the first eight puzzles are probably tutorials. A little scientist pops up to give you the specifics on each situation, and as you progress through the game, the crutches are slowly lifted out from under you. Happy puzzling and helping science !

Tags: Fold it | science+puzzle

Digitz is a nice Flash puzzle game with numbers.

Object is to slide squares with numbers around so adjoining numbers match the levels target number. You can only slide square to eachother when there is a free path available between the two squares. When the target is reached the colored blocks dissappear and part of the board is cleared. Once you get the hang of this game it becomes very addictive!

Tags: Digitz | Puzzle Game

The Pentultimate is the last puzzle creation of Jason Smith. It's a Rubik puzzle type with a dodecahedron shape, and like the original Rubik's Cube with the same object to have all sides in one color.

The Pentultimate mechanism is made of of 20 triangular and 12 pentagonal shard-like pieces. Every piece has 12 built in female grooves at 12 different vertical levels.
The pentultimate contains 820 total individual pieces: 416 of the custom pieces are cast from 26 masters, 152 of the custom pieces are machined in copies of 15 shapes,
568 parts are custom made, counting the 72 tiles, 252 parts come straight from hardware suppliers. In the end, all parts assemble to make only 32 moving parts.

At the Puzzle Forge website, you can find the process of the making of the Pentultimate.

Tags: Pentultimate Puzzle

World of Rings is an online Flash puzzle game by Absolutist

Object is to destroy all the colored squares on the board by rotating the circles with colored squares. Place them so that you could make a line of at least three squares of one color (in a circle or in a line). You are limited in the number of attempts. After each unsuccessful turn (when you do not manage to destroy any squares), the number of attempts decreases. When the number of attempts reach zero, new squares appear. Having removed all the squares of one color, you will not see them anymore. For each color removed, your score is doubled. Happy Puzzling!

Tags: World Of Rings | Flash Puzzle

Full Board is yet another nice flash puzzle game by Light Force.

Click on an empty position on the grid to mark your start position. Then click the mouse again to move inside the grid horizontally or vertically. Try to draw a path moving through each open square on the grid until all squares are full.

This game soon gets tricky, even level one is not simple and it's getting more difficult every level, but that’s what makes Full Board so addictive, it makes you want to just get one level further. There are nine levels in total so this should keep you occupied for some time. Happy Puzzling !

Tags: Full Board | Puzzle Game

Fruit Twirls is a simple puzzle game becoming much more difficult when your playing for a longer time.

Use your mouse to aim (mouse pointer) and shoot (left mouse button). Try to eliminate as much fruit as you can before they fall down the spiral. Score point by grouping three or more fruits of the same type. At the end of the game you will be able to submit your high score. Happy Puzzling !

Tags: Fruit Twirls | Puzzle Game

Quarkz is a nice Flash puzzle game were you have to take control of as much subnuclear matter as possible.

There are two little Quarks battling against each other by trying to control as much subnuclear matter as possible. Click on a field to gain control of it and place a bit of subnuclear matter. Once the particle get to big it becomes unstable - the next click on it starts a nuclear reaction. The one who caused this explosion gains control of the surrounding fields. Particles in corner fields already become unstable when the reach a size of three. Particles at the border become unstable at the size of five. The other particles at the game grid become unstable at the size of eight. Watch out for chain reactions. The can make you victorious, but the can also cause your downfall. Happy puzzling !

Tags: Quarkz | Puzzle Game

If you like puzzles and Conies there is now next to the Crossword version of Converse All Star also the Sudoku version of Convers chucks available. As most Converse lovers make their own version of their Chuck Taylors by writing on them, this is a ideal version of Converse as they can solve the puzzles on them [via Su.doku.es]

Tags: Converse | Chuck | Sudoku | Crossword

Bloc 2 is a variant of the world famous puzzle game Bloxorz. Difference is some different options and a larger game grid.

The object of Bloc 2 is to get the block to fall into the correct hole. You can move the block in the direction you want simply by pressing the four arrow keys. Be aware of the light green supports as they are unstable. Use the supports marked with a "t" to teleport to a specific location. You can use marked supports to activate specific bridges. Happy Puzzling !!

Tags: Bloc | Bloxorz | Puzzle Game

This fun puzzle by Buffalo Games features thousands of miniature Disney Movie frames combined to make one awesome portrait! These images were created through an art form known as Photomosaics, a process that relies on the perfect arrangement of thousands of actual screen shots, each taken from the features that Mickey Mouse starred in. Ideal for collectors & Micky fans alike. Available vioa PeanutGalleryGifts for US$ 17.99.

Tags: Disney | Mickey Mouse | Jigsaw

Cog Factory is one of the latest puzzle games from FreeWorldGroup.

Your objective in Cog Factory is to group the same colored cogs together in 'sprocket spirals'. Once three or more cogs of the same color are adjacent to one another, they will connect themselves to the 'machine' in the background.

The number of sprocket spirals increases as you progress through the game and the 'machine' gets built. To achive this you must plan ahead which cog you send down which spiral. You only have a limited time before the cogs get ejected from the cogregator. Happy Puzzlings.

Tags: Cog Factory | Puzzle Game

Passtah is a brilliantly strategic Puzzle Game for two players by RecentToys International

Passtah consist of a 3D lattice cube (5x5x5 ) showing the same color at opposite sides (black, red and white), eight black, eight white blocks and a stick to remove blocks from the cube. The blocks stay firmly in place, so you can tilt the Passtah cube to any angle while playing.

Goal of Passtah is to be the first player to make a connection with your colored blocks (black or white) from one side (that has the same color as your blocks) to the opposite side. Take care: your blocks must touch end to end, or overlap, above and below to count as a continuous line.

Passtah can be played from age six and last about 5 to 10 minutes per game.

Tags: Passtah | Puzzle Game

Finally the Gordian's Knot Puzzle has been added to my puzzle collection.

According to Wikipedia The Gordian Knot is a legend associated with Alexander the Great. It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem, solved by a bold stroke ("cutting the Gordian knot").

The Gordian's Knot puzzle consist of six colored interlocking puzzle pieces which must be taken apart (it takes minimum 69 moves) and assemble again (also a minimum of 69 moves).

Thinkfun, the manufacturer of Gordian's Knot describes the puzzle as follows: People with a passion for patterns and riddles will fall in love with Gordion's Knot, a take- apart brainteaser for die-hard puzzle enthusiasts. Players will marvel at their brilliance (and determination!) by unraveling the mystery of Gordion's Knot. It takes 69 different moves to dismantle the puzzle.

The puzzle from Thinkfun comes with a handy fourty page booklet with all 69 moves explained with text and pictures showing how to take the Gordian's Knot apart and how to assemble the puzzle again (by turning the booklet over and read the booklet backwards with a slightly different description).

Gordian's Knot is available via Amazon.

Tags: Gordian's Knot | Puzzle

You can't spit on a ball if you're a pitcher, but you can write on one if it's The New York Times Crossword Puzzle Baseball. Edited by the legendary Will Shortz, head of the New York Times crossword and founder of the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, this indelible baseball features countless questions on the game's greatest slang, players and teams to show and broaden your knowledge of the national pastime. The questions and answers are included too, but don't get caught stealing the latter. Ball is handmade and imported. Made in China and USA. Uncommon Knowledge: The first published crossword appeared in the New York World in 1913. By the 1920s, crosswords had spread to newspapers across the country. The New York Times Crossword Puzzle Baseball cost US$20.00. [via UncommonGoods]

Tags: Crossword | Baseball

Matt sent me an email about the WiiPocross website where a lot of things are happening.

WiiPicross.com is probably one of the most accessible, and user-content driven picross (logic art/nonogram) sites available. It has nearly 3500 puzzles and already over 1.5 million games played. They offer a Puzzle of the Day of course, a dynamic points scheme with three live rankings, voting, custom designer, user profiles, gamercards, Wii and PC comptability and all kinds of other fun and frivolous features.

The main reason Matt contacted me, is that WiiPicross just kicked off their 1st design contest. Submissions are open until the end of May 18th 2008, on the theme of 'Where You Are'. Their range of puzzles attracts players from all over the world and of all ages. Happy Puzzling !!

Tags: Wii | Picross

Give a one-of-a-kind gift with this personalized puzzle featuring a custom map. From any starting point, National Geographic will create a 400-piece jigsaw puzzle of a six-by-four-mile area using U.S. Geological Survey maps. A house-shaped piece in the center represents the address you choose. The map puzzle shows main roads, contour lines, water features, vegetation, and notable buildings. Arrives in a presentation box with space for a personal message. Specify recipient's full U.S. address, including street number and name, city, state, and zip code. 12 1/4''W x 18 1/2''L completed.

Available via National Geographic Shop. Please allow 3–4 weeks for delivery.

Tags: Map | Jigsaw Puzzle

HowToDoThings.com recently published an article targeted at helping novices learn how to solve Rubik’s Cube.

The article called 'Beginner's guide to solving Rubik's Cube - an introduction to strategies for solving Rubik's Cube' includes some 'how to' information for beginners, but is really geared at teaching new cubers some strategies for getting started with solving Rubik's Cube.

Rather than focus entirely on techniques, it's a way for beginners to think about how to approach the challenge. They got permission from Lars Petrus to use his java-based cube animation widget to provide extremely useful animations to demonstrate key concepts. Happy Puzzling !

Tags: Rubik's Cube

Liam sent an email about his puzzle website where you can find Cube'o', an online 3D Flash puzzle game and looks a bit like a Rubik's Cube version of Peter's Blackhole.

Object of Cube'o' is to slide the pieces into position so that each side of the cube has its own distinctive color (green, yellow, red, blue, orange and purple). Dark grey is no good. You can do this by clicking on a cube next to the open space to make it slide into the open space. You can use the purple arrows to rotate the cube. Happy Puzzling !

Tags: Cube'o' | Puzzle Game

Solitairo is small Flash variant of the original puzzle game Solitaire.

Object is to remove the pegs from the board in this solitaire game. A perfect game would leave only one peg on the board. As the the game never starts with a peg missing at the same place it's also playable more than once. Happy puzzling!

Tags: Solitario | Puzzle Game

For the real Sudoku addicts Westin Hotels & Resorts will launch sudoku-themed services by cooperating with Japanese publisher Nikoli Co. (well known for their hand made Sudoku's), which has given the name of sudoku to the number placement puzzle.

Westin has opened a Japanese-style garden called 'sudoku sanctuary' in central London, which will operate for a limited period through Monday.

Westin Hotels & Resorts will serve tea to visitors, hoping that they will relax and enjoy Sudoku puzzles. Similar gardens are set to be launched in Paris, Milan and Madrid soon.

Westin Hotels & Resorts will also provide sudoku-themed services in various regions including Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. [via JCN Networks]

Tags: Sudoku

Room Fake is an Escape The Room type of puzzle game.

Object in Room Fake is to find yourself a way out of a room with an eclectic collection of objects, both whimsical and useful. Among other things, a painting depicting nursery rhymes, a toy dog statue, a number puzzle and the usual collection of screwdrivers and keys all aid you in finding a way out. The puzzles are mainly intuitive and of moderate difficulty, a nice way to spend a lunch break or unwind from work. And, to what I am sure will be the delight of some and the disappointment of others, the [tab] key cheat has not been disabled. You probably won't need to make much use of it, though; except for a few instances, pixel-hunting is no where to be found. Happy Puzzling !

Tags: Room Fake | Puzzle Game | Escape The Room

We all know the problem when Rubik's Cube has more than three layers. They are very vunreable and break down very easily.

With V-Cube this problem is now solved. V-CUBE products are manufactured under the V-Cube technology, invented and patented worldwide by the Greek engineer Panagiotis Verdes. V-Cube technology made the construction of cubes, of an unlimited number of layers providing safe and smooth rotation possible.

The use of V-Cube technology made feasible the construction of cubes of more than 5 layers, something that believed to be unattainable for over 20 years. In order to prove this, Mr P.Verdes and his team are presenting the V-Cube 6 and the V-Cube 7.

At the same time, V-Cube technology has resulted to the design, construction & industrial production of smoother, safer and sturdier cubes of existing sizes (V-Cube 5). Furthermore, existing knowhow & patent ownership allows the construction of more complex designs, such as the V-Cube 11!

V-Cube products are addressed to hobbyists and fans of puzzle games. Their unique features allow literally everyone to enjoy them, regardless the player's level of experience in such games. Each cube gives you an impetus to exercise and become more mentally fit and sharp!

V-Cube products will be officially launched on September of 2008 in Greece. More information can be found at the V-CUBE website.

Tags: V-CUBE | Rubik's Cube

Quix is a nice and small flash puzzle game by LightForce.

Object is to line up same colored tiles vertically to clear them off the board. For this you do not only need puzzle skills but also speed as colored tiles are constantly added while you clear them. Happy puzzling !

Tags: Quix | Puzzle Game

Qink is a nice Flash puzzle game mixture of Tangram and Rubik's Cube by MyGame.com.

Object is to match the colored shapes as shown on the bottom of the screen to the cube. Select a part or more parts of the cube by clicking or clicking and dragging over them (the parts become grey). Shapes can be selected and matched no matter the angle of the cube. Once you have a shape selected, match it with a colored shape from your stack. Use you mouse, the WASD keys or arrow keys to rotate the cube.

There are two different game modes available: Fury is a fast paced shape matching think and twitch game and Patience is a puzzle game where the cube needs to be filled with only the shapes provided. Happy Puzzling !

Tags: Qink | Puzzle Game

Today I received an email that there are now even more levels of Puzzobomb to solve (a few weeks ago I already wrote about Puzzlebomb).

Object is to move blocks from the same color together (with same symbol - for people who suffer from color blindness) so they disappear. But be aware no single block can be left behind.

Tags: Puzzobomb | Puzznix

Hyper Cube is a maze based Flash puzzle game by Free Online Games.

Object is to escape the cube by figuring out this labyrinth of hallways and find the exit to each stage. Every stage is like a puzzle. There are all sorts of contraptions that can mutilate you instantly so be careful! A tip would be to try and rotate the cube by finding the room that does just this. Try not to touch any of the traps. Happy Puzzling

Tags: Hyper Cube | Puzzle Game

Quatro is the latest addition to my puzzle collection. It's a wooden 3D puzzle by puzzle manufacturer Eureka.

Object of Quatro is to separate the four parts and when you've done this to put the four parts together. This wooden puzzle is rated with 4 stars (Unbelievable).

Tags: Quatro | Wooden Puzzle | Eureka

If you liked the maze puzzle game Migration you will probably also like Scorching Earth as it is a similar kind of puzzle game.

Object of Scorching Earth is to burn enough land to win the level. You can spread your fire by spending "Burn Points". A single fire gains one "Burn Point" every time you press "Burn". But you will have to be careful, when a tile is completely burnt its fire will go out. Stay alive by spreading your fire at just the right moments. Blue fires also spread as you progress and rain in the only way to stop them. Happy puzzling !

Tags: Scorching Earth | Puzzle Game

Poux is a fast and challenging Flash puzzle game by Light Force.

Object is to to click on contiguous same colored tiles to remove them. Time is running fast and adds a new line of tiles at the bottom. Bombs can eliminate a whole line of tiles, but use them wizely.

You can find different version of this nice game at severel sites like Arcade Impact. Happy Puzzling !

Tags: Poux | Puzzle Game

Dutchman and teacher Auke Reijenga (48) opened his own puzzle museum in a small Dutch city called Joure (website is in Dutch only).

Over the years Auke collected over fifty thousand puzzles which were all over his house and in a barn. Part of his puzzle collection (a few thousand) can now be viewed by puzzle lovers. There is also a part in the museum where kids can play with some puzzles. The puzzle museum has all kind of puzzles except for jigsaw puzzles. Auke and his wife solved almost all puzzles of his collection.

The museum hasn’t regular opening hours but will be open after you make an appointment (more details via the website of PuzzelMuseum.nl). Via [Leeuwardercourant.nl]

Tags: Puzzle | Museum