If you love Japanese culture or Asian architecture in general, SmartGames' new puzzle game is the right choice to occupy your free time for a while. Designed by Raf Peeters, this stunning game successfully captures the fascinating world of temples in its many shapes and forms. Do you dare enter this realm?

I really like the presentation in the Temple Connection. The design has this emphasis on contrast between the gray concrete and the red wood, and I think it works really well. There aren't many pieces to work with and that's the beauty of the game as well. With a minimalist design, you only need to concentrate on what's important. The main goal of the game is to connect the temples with roads and bridges. Sounds simple, but don't underestimate it just yet. Wait until you attempt one of the hardest challenges...

The rules, as always, are very easy to understand, which means that anybody, puzzler or not, can jump right in, regardless of experience.

Three different temples comprise the main game, with seven other different pieces that represent stretches of roads and bridges that can be connected on both ends. To easily identify the temples, you just need to notice the number of rooftops they have (1, 2 or 3).

Each temple has two doors, but not all doors are used at the same time, which means that some doors might not have a road connecting to them. This greatly affects the difficulty of the game, since you won't know beforehand which doors are used and which ones are unused.

As you set up a challenge, notice the orientation of the temples and their doors, and also which doors are on the ground floor and which ones on the second floor. A black or white arrow will indicate which floor you should see, respectively.

With a total of 80 challenges spread across five different difficulty levels, there's something for everyone here. Because there's only one solution per challenge, it's easy (figuratively speaking) to know when a puzzle should be solved. You don't need to use all the pieces to solve a particular challenge, but there should be a continuous path connecting each temple. Roads can pass underneath bridges, which creates a beautiful effect when solved.

Closing Comments:

What's not to like in the new Temple Connection puzzle game? Lots of challenges to solve and a gorgeous design made with high quality materials. It's what we've come to expect with SmartGames, and this one is no exception. Perfect for those looking for a challenge or simply to enrich your puzzle game's collection.

Availability: The Temple Connection can be found at Amazon. Look for other designs by SmartGames, also worth playing.