Whenever you see Jerry Slocum and any of his associates, in this case Dic Sonneveld, involved in something; you can count on it being First Class. This new book, The 15 Puzzle book, is simply delightful for any puzzle lover. They take one of the most common of all puzzles, The 15 Puzzle, and show that it has a background that arguably makes it the most popular puzzle craze of all time. The book is a great read, filled with everything about the puzzle; from its creation, and how it took the whole world by storm. Much of [Read More...]

Fit to a Tee Golf Puzzle is a “sister” to The “Fifteen Puzzle” by the same company. They have been around for quite a while. Mine has a date of 2001 and made by Binary Arts; the company is now called ThinkFun. It is made of metal and very solid. The data shows the shipping weight as 2 pounds; but the puzzle is nowhere near that, maybe 1/2 pound at the most; and can easily be carried in the pocket; except for one thing. If you look at the “1 [Read More...]

This looks more like an optical illusion object than an actual puzzle. The mesmerizing pattern created by these two loops almost gives a sense of movement. Its designer is none other than Jean Claude Constantin.

The 2 Loops is actually a Packing Puzzle with six pieces. Simply remove the pieces from the tray and pack them up again. It’s deceptively easy, considering the complexity of the two shapes. The puzzle is made from two contrasting wood tones, which gives an impression that only the lighter parts can be removed and the others are part [Read More...]

TapGem is a very interesting puzzle app game.  The object is to place 4 gems on each colored region and ensure that each row and column has the correct number of gems as indicated. See the left margin and the row of numbers on the top.

If a number is in black, then you have satisfied the correct number of gems in that row or column. You can then white out the other squares because they cannot have gems.

There are 60 free levels. I’ve done all the easy and medium levels.  Here’s what I don’t like: many of these [Read More...]

Most magic tricks are quite simple – when you know the secret. This little Magic Box, 3″ X 2″ X 1 1/2″, will stump just about everyone who sees it for the first time. It is made of fairly thick clear acrylic plastic. It will withstand a good amount of usage; but certainly can be broken if excessive and unnecessary force is used on it. This is true to most brainteasers and should never be given to macho types who relish in breaking them and handing them back broken, saying,”There, solved!!” I also have one of these [Read More...]

In addition to his wide variety of designs, Jean Claude Constantin also makes puzzles of all types and categories. This time, I have one that requires a good amount of dexterity, the Impuls (Inertia). The German word Impuls might be interpreted to English as impulse or momentum, or as the alternate name Inertia. It’s a very fitting name, as you’ll discover when you try it for yourself.

Impuls, like any other Constantin puzzle, has a very elegant and functional design. This is quite a small puzzle, actually, measuring only 6 x 5 x 5cm (2.4″ x 2″ x [Read More...]

The Andromeda, by Philos, is a fairly well known puzzle among puzzle enthusiasts. It has been around for years, made by several companies and in various sizes. It is a little intimidating, and for good reason. It consists of 12 pieces. There are 4 shapes of pieces with 2 of each. Then there is a 5th shape, of which there are 4. This take-apart wooden puzzle is called a Burr; and there are many different ones available, and they can become very complicated and challenging. This one is given a difficulty level of 7 out of 10.  Maybe it [Read More...]