Over the last couple of months I have been reviewing some of the latest puzzles from the inventor Ivan Moscovich, manufactured by Fat Brain Toys. Today, I present you the last in this series of puzzles, simply called Fold, which will leave any origami wiz puzzled.

Fold, like Craniatics, is a collection of ten brainteasers in which you need to - you guessed it - fold them into various shapes to achieve the desired solution. Most puzzles offer multiple challenges, so in reality you get much more than just ten brainteasers. The puzzles are also conveniently stored in a folder (see photo below left), as to prevent missing pieces.

Since the puzzles are made to be constantly folded, it's safe to assume that there'll be some wear and tear after several uses. Although the folding puts a bit of strain to the material, I found it can withstand much more than you'd think. This is because the puzzles are manufactured in heavy-duty laminated paper, so no need to worry. You do have to be careful when folding a particular puzzle more than three times, though. If you feel that the puzzle might tear, don't force it and try to find a better solution.

As I did for the Craniatics review, I will describe only a few of the puzzles to give you an idea of what to expect, and I leave the rest for you to discover on your own.

FlexyTwist

This puzzle requites you to fold the square into 12 different shapes. You can fold the parts into different directions and even flip them. Solving the first shape is quite hard, but as you get the hang of it, the others will come more naturally.

Mysterious Morphing Magic Square

This was one of my favorites from this collection. You have a frame full of horizontal and vertical strips, and your task is to weave them into one of three possible images by intertwining the strips: the Moon, the Sun and a Magic Square. The first two are fairly easy to accomplish, but the magic square is a tad bit harder.

Lotus of the Heart

This one is similar to the above puzzle. You have an hexagon with 18 strips and the object is to weave them into one of the possible four stars. Note: I found it rather difficult to photograph the puzzle after folding it to the desired shape, because it just wouldn't stay in place. A bit of adhesive tape solved the problem.

Three Squares

In this puzzle, you have three squares with four different colors. The goal is to fold it into a square as to show a solid color on both sides. This one was also a bit tricky to solve. I had to resort to the adhesive tape as well to hold it in place for the photo.

Closing Comments:

Fold has a variety of difficulty levels and the challenges themselves are also very original, which will sure captivate any curious mind. I like that all the puzzles have a wide color palette, offering a fest to the eyes. There's something here for everyone.

Availability: You can find the Fold puzzle collection at Fat Brain Toys for just $13 USD.

If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know that I've been reviewing some of the latest puzzles from Ivan Moscovich, produced by Fat Brain Toys. This week, I bring you not only one, but a collection of 10 logic puzzles and games all neatly packed into one convenient magnetic box to better enjoy your long journeys - The Craniatics.

The included brainteasers are a mix of solitaire logic puzzles and multiplayer games with difficulties ranging from fairly easy to demanding. You might already be familiar with some of the concepts presented here, even though they are given their own identity with a beautiful new colorful approach. If you're used to logic puzzles, then you won't find them extremely difficult to solve, although some of them will surely give your brain a workout. On the other hand, if you're not a puzzle buff you'll have several tough challenges to occupy your mind for a while. No need to worry, though, because there are solutions included in case you get stuck.

What's interesting about this collection of puzzles is that they're portable: the box includes a magnetic board and opens like a suitcase, eliminating the need for extra space to play. The collection is comprised by high-quality magnetic pieces, just like your regular fridge magnets, and their vibrant colorful palette is a feast for the eyes.

Setting up one of the 10 brainteasers is very simple: just pick any of the 5 double-sided puzzle mats and hold it in place with the four Craniatics pieces in its corners. Each puzzle mat specifies which pieces you need for that particular challenge, so it's very easy to pick them out among all the others lying in the box.

The feeling of solving the puzzles in a magnetic board is surprisingly satisfying. Placing and removing pieces  on the puzzle mat as you try to figure out a solution is my idea of fun, and it won't be long until you realize a couple of hours went by like that.

Since there are 10 different brainteasers to try, it's difficult to cover all of them in a single review without making it overly boring to read. Instead, I'm gonna give you a brief description on a few of them, to give you an idea of what to expect, and leave the rest of them for you to discover on your own.

Also, note that some of the brainteasers have multiple solutions, and even if they have a unique solution, the final arrangement of the pieces might look a bit different. I see it as a bonus, since it will expand the replay value on a few of those puzzles.

The Continuous Loop:

You are given eight similar pieces with a gradient of colors and your task is to arrange them in such a way that they form a closed and continuous loop. The solution is unique and follows a simple logic. This one seems easy at first, but you won't get far just by randomly placing pieces. You need to look at them and find a connection between the colors. Very nice and original idea.

The Disappearing Square:

This one's a well-known concept. See the "Missing Square" puzzle for more info on this fascinating puzzle. This version is a little more complex, in my opinion. It uses 17 pieces in 5 different groups. Your first task is to recreate the colorful pattern on the puzzle mat and then, by removing the central piece, you're asked to create a new pattern with the same exact dimensions.

Spectrix:

This one can be played as a solitaire challenge or as a game for 2 or more players. The solitaire rules are as follows: 1. Place any of the colored tiles on the mat's grid; 2. If the next tile you place is the same color as the previous one, you can't place it next to any of its adjacent squares (diagonals included); 3. Fill the entire grid so that all colored tiles follow these rules. There's only one possible solution, but the arrangement of the colors can be different. The game rules have all players take turns to place a tile as described above, until someone has no more possible moves.

Binary Bits:

This one's another interesting version of a known concept by Niek Neuwahl, the Crossed Crosses. It can also be played as a solitaire puzzle or a game for 2 or more players. In the solitaire puzzle you're required to place all 16 tiles so that their touching edges match in color with the surrounding tiles. There are multiple solutions for this one. In the game version, the principle is the same as the previous brainteaser. The players take turns by placing tiles following the solitaire rules, until one player has no more valid moves.

Closing Comments:

The Craniatics will delight any puzzle enthusiast and give your trips a whole new meaning. It's practical, portable and the selection of puzzles is varied enough to have something for everyone's tastes.

Availability: You can find the Craniatics at Fat Brain Toys for $25 USD.

A few weeks ago, I started a series of reviews for some of the latest puzzles from renowned inventor Ivan Moscovich. Ivan's Hinge and Reflection were the first two, and as my third review I'll be writing about the Paradox Box, a blind maze with a twist...

The first thing you notice when you see the puzzle for the first time is its size - it's huge compared to a standard size Rubik's cube - with a diameter of 12.5cm (about 5"). It's a large puzzle, but it feels nice in your hands, as the edges are covered with this soft rubbery material that gives a nice grip for tilting and turning the cube.

The premise of the puzzle is simple: Just drop the small metal sphere into the cube and see if you can find your way out to the exit in the cube's opposite face, by navigating through an internal blind maze. Getting the sphere out, however, is everything but simple. There's a way to solve the maze and know how it works without the need to actually see what's going on inside, but for that you have to decode the Paradox Box's secret.

Each of the cube's faces is "decorated" with helpful clues, or hints, on how to follow the maze without falling into a trap, but there's no instructions on how to read these clues. It's up to you, though, to discover what they mean and how they can help you guide your sphere through the maze unscathed.

To my knowledge, the secret of the Paradox Box is comprised by 3 types of clues: the first is found on the plastic cover of each of the cube's faces and consists of a series of arrows pointing in four different directions, apparently in random order; the second type of clue is marked on the actual faces of the cube and consists of several different colors scattered in a 5x5 grid. This pattern of colorful small squares create a strikingly beautiful visual effect, which makes the Paradox Box stand out in the crowd of your puzzle collection; finally, the last of the three clues is a little more subtle, and it's found at the corners of the colorful squares. They're nothing more than little "plus" and "minus" symbols, but they provide important information, sort of like "maze coordinates".

From the three types of clues, the last one is the one I believe to have deciphered its true meaning. The other two are a bit trickier to make sense of, but with patience and determination I'll get there. It's also possible that the other two clues, or maybe one of them, are mere decoys and don't mean anything, but I'd like to believe they hide some useful pattern to help me solve the puzzle much faster.

The first time I tried to solve the maze, I managed to get the sphere out just within a couple of minutes, and without paying too much attention to the clues. I suspected lady luck had something to do with it, and so I immediately dropped the sphere into the cube again... Suffice it to say, until now, the sphere is still inside the cube, so that proves something.

Once the sphere is inside the cube it's not easy to keep track of where exactly it is, so concentration is key. Even if you think you have deciphered all three types of clues you still have to rely on your touch and hearing as your guides. Practice makes perfect, and with the Paradox Box it's no different. Little by little you start to notice that the sphere makes different sounds as it goes through the maze, indicating that it reached higher or lower ground depending on the sound. Also, when you're holding the cube, it's possible to feel the sphere knocking the inside walls of the maze as a small thump, clearly revealing its location. These subtle sensory hints help you to locate the sphere and allow you resume where you left of if you haven't managed to solve the puzzle in one session.

Closing Comments:

The Paradox Box will delight any fan of 3D maze puzzles. The idea of having to discover the meaning of these clues, like deciphering a secret code, is a brilliant concept and it'll surely put your logic and spacial-visualization skills to the test. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a serious challenge.

Availability: You can get a copy of the Paradox Box at Fat Brain Toys for about $30 USD.

Continuing with my reviews on some of the best Ivan Moscovich's creations, this week I bring you a different type of puzzle, a board game. Now, usually I'm not a big fan of board games, because I don't find them challenging enough and most of them just rely on luck to find a winner. Fortunately, Ivan's Reflection, manufactured by Fat Brain Toys, doesn't need a couple of dice to determine who wins. Instead, victory belongs to the player who best uses his visual and spatial abilities coupled with fast decision making. Moreover, it's a game that helps you keep your brain healthy.

Reflection is a superb and brilliant concept where you basically use a mirror to reflect part of a game card and try to score as much points as you can with the different colored spheres. There are some strategies that you will most certainly learn as you play more and more, but first let's get to the basics:

• The game comes with 60 cards, and each one has a different arrangement with four possible colored spheres (red, blue, green and yellow). Not every card contains all four colored spheres, though, and the total number of spheres varies from card to card.
• You start the game with one of the cards and up to four players choose one of the 10 possible axis lines of symmetry. Each axis line can also be reflected from both sides, making 20 symmetry lines in total, so each player must choose which side they want to be reflected prior to place the mirror.
• When all players place their tokens on the board signaling their chosen axis line, the mirror is placed and the spheres are counted to see who scored the most points. You count all the spheres you see, both on the card and on the mirror. Note that no two players can share the same axis line.
• The scoring is simple: First you count the red and the blue spheres - It's always the difference between red and blue, and not the other way around. Then, you add the number of green spheres and finally, subtract the number of yellow spheres.
• When all players' score is counted, place another card on the board. The player with most points after 10 rounds wins.

What I found most interesting, even after being more familiarized with the concept, is that it never ceased to surprise me, when I finally got to see the actual reflection contrasted with the image I had in my head. Obviously, with experience, you gradually can predict with more certainty what the final sphere arrangement will look like, but in the heat of the game and the pressure of choosing the best line first, there'll be times where you get unexpected results and think to yourself "How did I miss that?".

 

(Click to Enlarge) - Reflection's Box (Front and Back)

As mentioned above, there are strategies that you, with time, will learn how to use in order to get the most points. Spotting which lines capture the most red and green spheres, and avoiding the ones with blue and yellow spheres are some of the best ways to win the game. Also, sometimes it's best to go for a low sphere count and have a positive score than to risk on an axis line with plenty of spheres, which ultimately can result in a negative and unexpected score.

Throughout my experience with the game, I've seen scores go as high as 7 or as low as -5. I'm not certain what's the maximum or minimum score, but they pretty much vary between these numbers (see examples below).

Reflection is essentially a multiplayer game, but it's also possible to play it solo, although it's not as much fun. One of the ways to play it solo is to pick a random card and, without using the mirror, try to find an axis line that will yield the most points and one that will yield the lowest possible score. When you think you have the two highest contrasting lines, use the mirror and check all the other lines to see if you were correct. It certainly serves as a nice training for when you're not playing with others.

Closing Comments:

Ivan's Reflection is probably one of the best board games I've ever played. I was very surprised at how much fun and addictive it can become once you get into it. The rules are simple and easy to understand, and it's based on your skills to be won and not on pure luck. The high number of challenge cards keeps the game fresh for a long time, and most importantly, it never gets boring. Highly recommended for any puzzle or board game fans. It's the ultimate battle of wits.

Availability: Ivan's Reflection game is available at the Fat Brain Toys website for about $25 USD.

Example of a four-player game round with the same card:

(Click to Enlarge) - Blue (4 Points) and Red (3 Points)

(Click to Enlarge) - Green (2 Points) and Yellow (0 Points)

Over the next few weeks I'll be reviewing 5 of Ivan Moscovich's puzzles currently available at Fat Brain Toys. First up is Ivan's Hinge - A simple concept and yet so fun to play with and extremely addicting.

The premise of this puzzle is pretty simple. 16 colored triangles are connected by articulating joints in a closed loop and by flipping and folding it you can create several different shapes and patterns. It's a straightforward concept that's quite easy to understand, however, a tough one to master.

The puzzle is very well built from a strong hard plastic, which is a must if you want it to withstand all kinds of twists and turns and still be playable for a long time. It has a nice portable size (the square shape fits in the palm of your hand) and instead of stickers, which would peel off after a while, the colors are painted right onto the triangles. The hinges behave exactly as you would expect, very flexible, although sometimes they do get stuck, but nothing that a small pressing of a finger won't fix. It's a mechanical puzzle, after all.

Included with Ivan's Hinge are 56 challenge cards that range from easy to very hard, which will put your visual spatial skills to the test. The challenges are separated by five different shapes and within each shape you're required to build several different colored patterns.

At first, being able to solve any of the challenge cards is frustrating to say the least. Folding the puzzle into one of the five shapes is challenge enough, let alone combining that with a designated pattern. Whenever I succeeded at getting a shape done, I would go the challenge cards and think to myself "Which one did I manage to solve?" - And voilá! There it was, some random challenge solved by accident...

It took many tries of trial and error until I was able to solve a specific chosen card. After untwisting and unbending too many times, I was finally on the right track. Now the next goal would be to chose a challenge and solve it on the first try. Ambitious, but perfectly doable.

You should start by the first challenges, the square-shaped ones. Those are the easiest shapes to manipulate into, and after mastering those you should be able to tackle the more complex ones. When attempting to solve any challenge, you should try and focus on one of its smaller squares. As you may know, all of the shapes that you can do with the puzzle are called tetrominoes. In other words, each shape can be divided into four small squares.

Take the square shape, for example: In order to solve one of the square colored patterns, try to match one of the smaller squares (top right) to the beginning of your loop - that should be one of its four segments. Then, just fold the puzzle around that smaller square, always remembering where it belongs into the whole shape.

Curiously enough, I found out that in order to get from one shape to another, all you need to do is a couple of flips and folds. Usually, the colored pattern you get on one side is different from the backside. May be the same coloring pattern, but with different colors or a completely different pattern altogether. It's up to you to find out which ones are equal on both sides.

As with everything, practice makes perfect, so just keep trying until you're able to solve all 56 challenges.

Closing Comments:

Ivan's Hinge turned out to be a really pleasant surprise. I really loved the mechanism of the puzzle and how easy it is to manipulate. It's not as easy as it looks when it comes to solve a particular challenge, but it never gets to the point where you just want to give up or feel discourage to keep trying. With patience, you'll eventually get the hang of it, and after that, it will be difficult to put it down. Also a great puzzle to have around to just fiddle with it.

Availability: Ivan's Hinge is available at Fat Brain Toys for about $13 USD.

Video: Check out a video demo of Ivan's Hinge in action.

More Shapes and Challenges: