The puzzle I’m going to talk about today is the Cast Keyring. Oskar van Deventer designed this puzzle and I received it from Puzzle Master. If you need the solution then check out the Puzzle Master solution webpage. There is also a video solution on youtube. Please note that you can also find this puzzle at other online stores. The Puzzle Master store rates this a 6 out of 10 as far as difficulty. In other words, it’s not super hard. I would agree that it wasn’t very difficult but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. The [Read More...]

Category: All Puzzles, Metal Puzzles

Today’s puzzle is a little different in a sense that it’s not really a puzzle, albeit it puzzles your mind just as much as any other puzzle. It’s not a magic trick either, although some folks will think of it that way. It’s called the Wide and Long Puzzle and it’s simply an optical illusion that plays with perspective very well.

There has been many versions of this puzzle, but the one I have here, made of wood, was manufactured by Jean Claude Constantin and looks stunning. The concept is no more than two pieces of wood, part [Read More...]

Category: All Puzzles, Wood Puzzles

The object of Twin Beams: plant 2 trees in every park so that each row and column has exactly two trees.  Also, two trees cannot be adjacent to each other – vertically, horizontally or diagonally. I’ve seen this type of puzzle before.  Most recently in ’63 Logic Games’ which is another puzzle app. They call that game Parks. Nicola Salmoria contacted me recently about his new app Twin Beams with a really long explanation of everything: how much time he put into it, how he borrowed the concept etc. Bottom Line: there are 10,000 levels: 2500 at each level.  The easy levels are [Read More...]

Category: All Puzzles, iPhone/iPad Puzzle Games

I’ve had a revelation this week that I wanted to share it with you. I’ve come to terms with being utterly confused while solving a puzzle and I’ve learned that it is ok to dwell there for a while. I say for a while because entering a state of insanity is acceptable for the creative process involved in problem solving but it isn’t preferred when you are checking out of your local grocery store and the cashier asks if you are ok. She asked if I was ok because I was rolling my eyes and twirling my hands like an [Read More...]

Category: All Puzzles, Maze Puzzles, Metal Puzzles

Since Hanayama started to produce the Cast series, back in 1983, they’ve revived several classic designs from the turn of the 20th century, so that a new generation of puzzle enthusiasts could enjoy them as well. The Cast Devil, also known as the Devil’s Claws since 1905, is another great design brought back by Nob Yoshigahara, in 1994, with Hanayama’s top-notch quality. The key word for the Devil is “Claws”.

From the official picture, the puzzle looks smaller than it actually is, so I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw it. Made with an unusually thick [Read More...]

Category: All Puzzles, Metal Puzzles

SudoFeud is point scoring game that you must play against an opponent. It’s very difficult to describe. I recommend that you watch this video: http://www.sudofeud.com/ In short, SudoFeud works a bit like Scrabble. Especially with double & triple scoring points. I have not play tested this. Sorry, I’m just too busy. Also, I need to play against a ‘friend’. Which I have none of! That’s what happens when you spend your whole existence play testing puzzle apps for a blog that nobody reads. Actually, my blog just got its 200,000th hit. Roel Griffioen is the author of SudoFeud. He also made [Read More...]

Category: All Puzzles, iPhone/iPad Puzzle Games

Hello puzzlers!!! Back for extreme close ups and bad jokes I see. Well I can’t really see you…. Or can I. I’m looking at you one eyed purple people eater. As you can tell, I carefully plan my intros. So, the puzzle hidden behind door number three is called Two Keys by Jean Claude Constantin. In a nutshell, this puzzle is what happens when a laser gun asks an innocent piece of wood for all its money and the wood refuses…. Ok ok what I mean is that the wood is laser cut to form the two mazes found on [Read More...]

Category: All Puzzles, Maze Puzzles, Wood Puzzles