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IQ Blox is the latest addition to my favorite logic game series, the IQ by Smart Games. Designed by Raf Peeters, these are convenient pocket-sized games that you can bring with you anywhere, as they're presented in a plastic box that closes and keeps the pieces from being lost. What's more, these puzzles will give your brain a boost and put your skills to the test.
The IQ Blox uses a clever new feature: small U-shaped walls that block some of the pieces from being placed at certain positions. With these restrictions, you'll have to find alternative ways to find the correct solution which, like most other games in the series, have only one solution per challenge.
(Click to Enlarge) - Starter Level, Challenge 20
Besides the inclusion of the four walls, the game contains seven distinct pieces, each in a different color and shape. There are two types of pieces, tetrominoes and pentominoes. When a challenge is complete, all the pieces will occupy the entire area of the game board. There's a stationary piece of a single unit that sits at the top left corner of the board, since it wasn't possible to fill the board entirely with the seven pieces. You can use both sides of the pieces interchangeably.
(Click to Enlarge) - Expert Level, Challenge 58
To start any challenge you will have to place in the tray one or more walls, depending on the difficulty of the chosen challenge (the harder the challenge the less walls are used). The board has numbers on each spot to easily set up a challenge. Also depending on the level (Starter), there could be some pieces already in place when you start a challenge. You complete a puzzle when all the pieces fit neatly inside the game board.
Although a bit different from other games in the series, the IQ Blox is not much harder than its predecessors. The walls give it a slight increase in difficulty, but at the same time it tells you right away if a piece will fit in the board or not. You will constantly rearrange the pieces as you go until you find the correct solution, but in the end it's on par with any of the other games by Raf in terms of difficulty.
(Click to Enlarge) - Wizard Level, Challenge 105
Closing Comments:
The IQ Blox is a challenging game, but it never reaches levels of frustration capable of making you give up on it. The inclusion of the walls give it that bit of originality and novelty that will satisfy any packing puzzle fan. With 120 challenges and five levels of difficulty, there's something for everyone, beginners and experts alike.
Availability: The IQ Blox is available at Amazon and other major puzzle stores around the world.
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