#1 Puzzle

(Click to Enlarge)

The #1 Puzzle is yet another interesting member of the anodized metal puzzle family by PuzzleMaster. This shiny emerald green puzzle looks like a scary one, but it's actually not that difficult when you attempt to solve it.

Comprised of four different flat pieces, the #1 Puzzle sort of resembles the classic Gordian's Knot puzzle, one of my favorites. It's not that complex, though, because the classic version has six pieces. The pieces move in a certain direction, but only to a point, as it's blocked by the others. You have to figure out how the cuts in the pieces work and how to disentangle them.

(Click to Enlarge)

For its price range, the puzzle is actually quite well built. These metal puzzles are usually prone to scratches, but my copy is, so far, more or less scratch-free. Sometimes the best option for these puzzles is to get two copies - one for playing and another for displaying...

I thought this was going to be quite a challenge, as it's rated as a level 8/10, but surprisingly it wasn't that hard. Taking it apart was pretty easy and done within seconds, but like every puzzle in this category, the hard part is putting it back together. While it wasn't particularly as easy as it was to take it apart, I was able to solve it in a few minutes. Either I'm getting better at this sort of puzzles or the puzzle wasn't as challenging to begin with. I'm inclined to go for the second option, since I was never that good at solving this kind of puzzles.

(Click to Enlarge)

Closing comments:

I have some mixed feelings about this puzzle. On one hand, I was pleased to solve it fairly quickly, for a change, but on the other hand I can't say I'm not a bit disappointed by how easy it was. For an 8/10 puzzle you'd expect a tougher challenge than this. Nevertheless, it's still quite a great-looking puzzle.

Availability: You can find the #1 Puzzle at PuzzleMaster for $19.99 CAD. Check out the other anodized puzzles in this series.