Deducktion, another clever design by Raf Peeters and produced by SmartGames, is a logic game where you can play with numbers in a fun way, and it's also very educational for the young and growing minds. If you like mathematical puzzles and games, keep reading to find out how it works.

The game is nicely presented in a notebook style with clasp. Inside you'll find two sets of booklets with 48 challenges on the left, divided by four difficulty levels -- could've been more, but it's enough to get you busy for a while -- and a magnetic board with 12 duck magnets on the right. The ducks are grouped in three families, each color representing one family comprised of a mother duck and its corresponding ducklings. There's a 3x4 grid which shall be filled entirely by the 12 ducks, although there are some rules to take into account before you start:

- When starting a challenge pay attention to the numbers and colors on the squares.

- There can be an isolated number without a specific color, or just a color, or even both (more common on the starting challenges). These squares can indicate that a specific duck with that number should be placed on that same square, but may not indicate its color, or the opposite, where you are given the color but not the actual number - You have to figure out for yourself. If there's a square with a color and a number, no "deducktion" is necessary - it's that specific duck.

- Each duck family must be placed on the board in a chain. This chain may not be straight, but the numbers do have to be adjacent (for example, you can't have duck #4 next to #2 and so on). The chain needs to have the correct number sequence (horizontally or vertically).

The logic behind this game reminds of Sudoku, because you have to use strategic planning and deductive reasoning skills. Since I love Sudoku so much, it's easy to understand why I also enjoyed Deducktion. The subtle but creative way that the designer found to have bigger and smaller duck families allows you to find the correct logic in every challenge to solve them (green family has only three ducks; red family has four and yellow family has five ducks). You'll have just the necessary information to solve all 48 challenges.

Closing Comments:

Deducktion is one of the most educational games you can find in the SmartGames catalog. It's a great tool to exercise your brain, whether it's for a growing 6 year-old or a 66+ year-old that needs to keep their brain as sharp as possible. If you know anyone that can't have enough Sudoku puzzles, this is a great gift for them.

Availability: Amazon is your best bet to find the Deducktion game or any other by SmartGames.