Another member joins the family of the anodized metal puzzles, this time the Victory in its glorious emerald green. Despite its complex structure with four unique pieces, the puzzle is actually easier to solve than you might think. A lovely puzzle that will surely delight even the most casual puzzler.

The four pieces comprising this interestingly-shaped puzzle will move only up to a certain point, blocked by their own shapes. By carefully studying how the pieces are interlocked will allow you to remove them one by one sequentially. From what I've seen, there's only one possible solution, but don't let that discourage you. I found it quite easy to disassemble it, actually.

One thing that I usually pay attention to when solving this kind of puzzles is the order in which they are removed and the orientation of each piece in relation to the puzzle. Doing this will get me into less trouble when trying to reassemble the puzzle back to its original state. You can even take pictures during each stage of the disassemble process, depending on the size of the puzzle. Since the Victory puzzle, in particular, is not that complicated you can easily memorize the position of each piece.

Being a relatively easier puzzle to solve was actually quite fun, since it gives you the confidence to deal with harder puzzles after this. This one is rated as a level 7/10 in difficulty, but I think a level 6 wouldn't be a wrong rating, given that it's easily solvable within 5 minutes.

Closing Comments:

The Victory puzzle is a great starting point for those that aren't too familiar with this type of puzzles. With only four pieces there aren't that many possibilities to get it wrong and not discouraging you to try more difficult ones. If you've solved this one, why not go for a more challenging one in the anodized metal puzzle family, like the Lattice puzzle?

Availability: The Victory puzzle is available at PuzzleMaster for just $19.99 CAD. Check out the other puzzles in the anodized metal series.

I've reviewed so many puzzles by Jean Claude Constantin over the years that I ran out of adjectives to classify his unique designs. Probably one of the most prolific puzzle designers/manufacturers in recent history, each puzzle you try from him is bound to leave a positive impression on you. So, what to say about today's featured puzzle, Ella Propella? To put it simply, yet another impressive design.

Ella Propella - That's a pretty nice name right off the bat. And the design is something that catches your attention right away. Including a propeller, magnets and a metal sphere. What else to make this a very unique and interesting puzzle... You're gonna need some dexterity, a good amount of trial and error, but in return you'll get a high dose of fun.

The puzzle may seem confusing at first, as the movement is somewhat stuck by a pin that keeps the propeller moving. You can see what's going on below through the acrylic disc, but you have to figure out a way to make the pin drop and rotate the propeller so that the opening for the sphere can be seen. This movement is a bit of a hit or miss, because the two magnets below repel the natural movement of the puzzle. So you have to keep trying until the pin finally drops and the propeller is free.

Another good thing about the puzzle is that it has a high replay value, since you can't always solve the puzzle at your first try (you probably never solve it at your first try), so it's kind of a fun puzzle to keep around and play to release your stress. As far as difficulty goes, the level 7 is an appropriate classification, as it's challenging but not overly complex that would drive away casual puzzlers.

Closing Comments:

Ella Propella is a really nice little puzzle (just 7.5cm or 3" in diameter), and it's an intriguing puzzle that will keep many occupied for hours. Puzzles and magnets always make for a nice combo, and this time is no different. A definite worthy choice for your collection or just to have a good time.

Availability: Ella Propella is available at PuzzleMaster for just $23.99 CAD. Check out the large collection of Constantin's puzzles also available to purchase.