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Today, I have another Jean Claude Constantin puzzle for review, the Two Keys. It's starting to become a trend... And I still have several more of his designs waiting to be reviewed, so do stay tuned.

The Two Keys is a Maze or Route-Finding puzzle, or double maze to be more precise, and your task is to get the pin from its starting point to the end and remove it. This would have been a pretty simple challenge had the second maze, which is very different, not been there to complicate things. To navigate around the maze you need to slide the top platform left or right according to the movement you want to perform, so that both mazes have a common pathway.

The puzzle is relatively small, measuring about 10cm x 6.5cm (3.94" x 2.56") and it's laser-cut from plywood. Adding for a very nice finishing touch are two acrylic pieces placed at both top and bottom.

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The difficulty is a bit harder than I was expecting, because the solution is not so straightforward as you'd think. I had to go back and forth a few times, facing a couple of dead-ends in between, before I was able to find the right path. PuzzleMaster rates it at 5/10, the easiest, but even though I was able to solve it in about 10 minutes, doesn't change the fact that it's still a complex design and I believe more casual puzzlers will struggle to figure it out.

I got the Two Keys puzzle from PuzzleMaster. Constantin has a similar design with steel balls and mazes, called Black Jack, although it's a sequential puzzle and I believe, a lot more difficult. While you're at it, why not try the Kugellager? - Over 1200 moves to solve...

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Closing Comments:

If you're a regular reader of my reviews, then you know that I'm a big fan of Constantin's designs, and the Two Keys is certainly not an exception. While it's not a new concept (Oskar's Medallion and Cast L'œuf are another two examples), the design is very well done and I can recommend it to any maze enthusiast.

Links:

Jean Claude Constantin - Official Website

Jean Claude Constantin at Puzzle Place