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This will be the first of several reviews I'll be writing for Puzzle Crafthouse's puzzles, all in the coming weeks. Doing the first honors is the Haselgrove Box designed by the British inventor Jennifer Haselgrove and produced at Puzzle Crafthouse. 

Described as being based on the old Egyptian pyramids' locking mechanism, the puzzle uses an ingenious sliding block system to lock the pieces inside the wooden box. The goal, as you may have guessed by now, is to remove the pieces by figuring out how they're locked.

As you first inspect the box and try to remove the first piece, you'll notice that only a small block comes out, but this is actually part of a larger piece. Another careful inspection will reveal a much larger piece in the shape of an H and what appears to be a piece glued to the box's edge. After that first block is pulled and you start tilting the box to the sides, you'll hear something move inside. This is the blocks sliding around with your movements.

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The hard part about this level 4 puzzle (harder levels are 5 and 5+), is realizing how the blocks slide and what movements you should do in order to take out the pieces. Since you're not seeing how the actual pieces move about, you must use your hearing to decode where the block is moving from and to. It may seem very complex, but I can tell you that it won't take that long to solve the puzzle if you're persistent. If you do solved the first part, which is taking out the pieces, and thought it was very hard, wait until you start thinking about the way to put them back in the box. 

After successfully removing all the pieces, you won't be aware of all the exact steps used to get there. When I got the blocks out, I wasn't paying much attention to their correct place inside the box and just drop them on the table - Big mistake!... Or not. Actually, the fun part and the beauty of the puzzle itself was studying it and figure out where to place every block, to discover how the locking mechanism really works.

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The first thing you'll notice when you have all the pieces out is that there's not only one glued block to the box, but two of them. This will prove to be part of the overall mechanism that makes the blocks slide and not jam in each other. Another neat detail about the puzzle design is that the larger main piece, when looking at it sideways, looks like a J and when viewed from above, looks like an H - The initials of the inventor.

Understanding how the pieces move is halfway to solve the puzzle. When you lift the first block, it will create an empty space inside the box. This in turn, allows the other blocks to move around and create a unique sequence of movements that will be the key to unlock the main piece.

Looking at all the pieces, you can separate them into four different types. In fact, there's three unique pieces and six identical blocks. Knowing the positions of the two larger pieces is easy, since there's only one way they correspond to the box configuration. The tricky part is learning where the L-shaped block will go and how to position each of the six blocks.

Ok, so if you think about it, the L block has to be placed in a corner and be stationary. The only blocks that will be sliding are the identical ones, and the only effective way of doing this is if they move around the central glued block. If you get the bottom part correct, the rest will follow in no time. To get to the final layer of sliding blocks, you'll just need one that links these two layers. This block is the only one that needs to be in the upright position and will go up or down, depending if you're locking the pieces again or taking them out.

Once you have the right sequence of movements learned and ready, just place the two largest pieces and lock the puzzle again. Now that you know how the mechanism works, try to unlock it again to see how you'll do...

Video - Video made by Puzzle Crafthouse to show how the Haselgrove Box works (Spoiler).

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Closing Comments:

Lately, I have become more aware of puzzle locking systems with the Trick Locks, but usually they're more like one or two basic moves. On the contrary, the Haselgrove Box is a fantastic puzzle in the way that it uses a unique sequence of movements. Having to unlock it and then knowing how to lock it again is what makes this a very interesting puzzle. In general, a great experience, recommended to those interested in any type of locking mechanism puzzles.

Also worth mentioning is the overall high quality of the wooden puzzle, and this is a Puzzle Crafthouse hallmark with all of their puzzles.

This was one of my first Cast Puzzles. At the time, it was the one that caught my attention the most and still today, after having almost 30 of them, is my favorite. What I like most is the appearance of it, the N E W S font is absolutely superb and the golden color gives it an ancient look. This is what Hanayama does best - It takes an otherwise boring puzzle and turns it into an amazing work of art... Even the packaging looks good.

As most of Hanayama's puzzles, the goal of the Cast News is to separate both pieces. This is a level 6 puzzle, the highest and can be a real tough challenge for a beginner.

9 - White DOTS

The White DOTS is an invention of Pantazis Houlis from Greece. His line of gravity puzzles are some of the most original puzzles you can have the pleasure to play. This particular one has many challenges you can do, from beginner to advanced.

Without touching the actual pieces inside, you have to tilt the ball in order to flip the 5 pyramids and solve a specific puzzle. There's a free space between the pyramids and this allows them to flip and turn inside the ball. It's a joy to play with it. The White DOTS has been re-branded and is now called Oginov.

8 - Bolaris

Coming all the way from Finland and designed by Hannu Hjerppe, the Bolaris are actually a collection of 4 puzzles, with each one having a different color scheme. The balls are essentially a 3D sliding puzzle where you scramble the pieces and try to get them to their original pattern.

The Bolaris Color is my favorite from the four, because it's not so difficult, but it sure provides a nice challenge without being too much frustrated. The Bolaris Globe, on the other hand, does look a lot better with the Earth representation, but it can be one hell of a headache to solve.

7 - Qubami

Custom built by Kelvin Stott from Switzerland, the Qubami is a fantastic 3x3 Rubik-type cube with a twist. Think of it like a 3D Sudoku. There's three different colors and three symbols, and you have to solve it so that there's no two of the same colors or symbols in any row or column on each of its six faces.

This is really hard to solve, but when you do, you really feel a good sense of accomplishment. What stands out most in this puzzle is its original look with bubble stickers and stylish color scheme. Definitely worth your time...

6 - Gear Cube

Designed by the genius of Oskar van Deventer, the Gear Cube was the first one in a new trend of twisty puzzles. There's been several new versions and sticker variations since its first release by Meffert's, but this one is still my favorite.

The gears that make the cube turn give a whole new dimension to this type of puzzle. Although it requires techniques to solve similar to the Rubik's Cube, it's still different in its own way and extremely fun to solve.

5 - Revomaze Obsession

We were first introduced to the Revomaze by Chris Pitt back in 2008. At the time they were only being made in metal and were very expensive. In order to get to a wider audience and to new puzzle enthusiasts, the Revomaze Obsession puzzles were launched two years later. By switching to plastic, the cost of production was considerably reduced and so the final price, although the overall quality of the puzzles remais very high.

For the ones who don't know, the Revomaze is a hidden maze puzzle and the goal is to remove the internal shaft from the sleeve by navigating through a complex maze. The first version of the Obsession doesn't actually allow the shaft to be removed after you solve it, but this issue has been fixed with the V2, now available at their website. New review on these ones coming soon...

4 - Svetnashki

The Svetnashki is like a classic 15-Puzzle, but with a very cool concept that gives it a new life. Built by the Russian company Mif Predmet, the Svetnashki makes a very clever use of polarized filters to change a clear tile into opaque when it passes in from of one. There's no unique goal though - You can turn all the tiles dark or clear, or you can just make your own designs.

There were six different versions released (the one in picture is the 4x4 Classic), and the company had plans to release even more, but since then no others have been produced which really is a shame. I still love to play with them from time to time, just for the fun of it... I recommend it to everyone that likes slide puzzles or something out of the ordinary.

3 - Bicone

Vinco, or Václav Obšivač is a fantastic craftsman. His designs are worthy to be in a puzzle museum. The Bicone was my first puzzle from him. Built from cherry and maple wood, it creates a rather beautiful checkered pattern. There are many different designs for this shape - Ten to be more precise. This particular one is called the Bicone 2 and the objective is to take apart the four interlocked pieces, but the process is not that simple.

The method used to solve it is coordinated-motions, but once you're familiar with it, it just takes the time to find where all the pieces are connected. To find more of his amazing puzzles, visit his website. His puzzles are handmade and have very limited quantities, so don't just wait to get the one you're looking for.

2 - Japanese Puzzle Box

One of the most sought after puzzles from enthusiasts all over the world are the Japanese Puzzle Boxes. They are built by the best craftsmen in Japan and are decorated with all these distinctive and intricate patterns. The puzzle itself is to find the correct sequence of sliding movements to open the box. The smaller ones are easier, but as you go higher in size and number of movements, it can get really difficult to open, with some of the hardest ones having hundreds of steps to solve.

The particular one in the picture is actually a 2-in-1. The main box is 2.5 Sun with 5 Steps and inside it, there's a smaller Mame box with 22 Steps to open. These ones, hopefully will be the first in many ahead, because I was completely amazed by their quality and the overall concept of the puzzle itself - to discover each correct movement to open them.

1 - Lexomino

... And we finally get to my absolute favorite of the puzzles reviewed so far, and actually my favorite from my entire collection, because it holds a certain sentimental value that it's hard to get from a regular mass-produced puzzle. Call me egocentric, but how many people have the privilege of having a puzzle custom-made just for themselves? It doesn't get any rarer than this, as this is the only one in the world.

The Lexomino puzzles were created by Eric Harshbarger from the United States and are built from acrylic and plywood for the box. It consists of packing all of the pieces inside the box and be able to close the lid. It's a bit different from what you're used to, like in a simple Assembly puzzle, because the pieces won't just fit into the box by stacking them over each other. They interlock in many different ways to save space, and this is where it gets difficult, since there's thousands of possibilities, but only a fraction of correct solutions, maybe one in some cases.

There's now a popular puzzle based on this concept, also by Eric, called Digits in a Box, but if you fancy one made with your name, you can contact the inventor and ask in more detail what you're looking for. Be warned though, not all letter configurations are solvable, so it has to be checked by Eric if it's doable.


Final Thoughts:

... And there you have it, my favorite 10 puzzles from all my reviews. Who knows what puzzles I might choose for the 200th post? - Maybe a completely different top, but it would be very hard to change my top three.

I hope my reviews are helping some of you to know new puzzles or to decide whether or not to buy the one you were looking for. If I succeeded in that job, then my work was totally worth it.

Finally, I just would like to thank Roxanne Wong, Rob Stegmann, Georges Helm and Pantazis Houlis, for they're  the ones responsible for me to start collecting all these extraordinary objects. They are more than just collectors, they have been contributing for years, with their work and knowledge and sharing their experiences with all the puzzle community, in one way or another. To them, I'm very grateful for that.

Having been collecting mechanical puzzles for more than three years now (which is nothing compared to other collectors out there), I still love the fact that I can stumble upon some very interesting puzzles, while browsing through Rob's Puzzle Page.

Even though they were launched in 2007, the "Mozaniac - Multiple Picture Puzzle System"  puzzles were a very nice surprise to me. This original invention by Daniel Young from Paradoxy Products, makes a clever use of a very simple system. They were also entered at the IPP 28 as "Mozaniac Numbers".

Made of a thick and flexible type of paper (similar to high-quality playing cards), the same six pieces can be manipulated to show four different pictures. The way to achieve this is simply by connecting and interlocking the pieces together in a way that can reveal or hide some of its parts, leaving only the ones you need to solve a specific image.

The puzzles come with their own display card with a frame-like appearance, this way making it easier to be put in a desk. Shown in the front are the four possibilities for that particular puzzle, inside there's a solution and at the back, a brief explanation of the basic moves you need to learn.

Every piece is cut about halfway into quarters, allowing them to slide into each other in several different ways. Each of them can have up to three parts of the same picture in it. Both sides of the pieces are printed, and even though you have one particular configuration on one side (showing three parts of the same image, for example), doesn't mean that it can be equivalent on the other side as well. This is also true for a finished picture. In other words, if you complete a puzzle, the opposite side won't have a solved one too.

There are several options available for you to choose. From the ones I got, the hardest and trickiest of them is the none other than the "Tricky Numbers". Yes, the name says it all. The fact that the number two has the opposite color scheme from the others, will play a major part in understanding which parts are from the "2" and which ones are from the other three numbers. Likewise challenging is "Men With Moustaches", because they're only in black and white, and identifying different parts that way is not an immediate process.

On the other hand, the easier one to start, if you want to get more accustomed to the puzzles , is the "Colored Numbers". The same background and different color for each number, makes it pretty easy to recognize the patterns and spot how every piece should connect. 

My favorite from all of the Mozaniac's puzzles though, is the "Four Elements", featured with paintings. It was the one that caught my attention the most, when I saw them on Daniel's website, mainly because of Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night", one of the most fascinating paintings of all time. The material feels a bit different from the others as well, with a thin-film layer over the thick paper, making it look shinier.

Paradoxy Products can also make custom Mozaniac puzzles with your own images. This is excellent for corporate gifts with a company logo, or to make something unique and special that only you will have, like family pictures, for example. For more information on this, drop an e-mail to Paradoxy customer's support.

Closing Comments:

You might be thinking how the puzzles will look like with a lot of use, given the fact that the material is basically paper and could tear around the cut lines. Well, I've had them for less than a week, but unless you force the connections too much, they'll be fine for quite some time, because the material despite being paper, it's very flexible and resistant.

Although I've seen before the sliding system on flat paper to build 3D objects, it's the first time I've played with it like this. Getting four different pictures out of only six pieces, is something you may find hard to believe at first, but once you understand how it's done, you'll be surprised and hooked as well.

You can get the Mozaniac's puzzles directly from their website or at SeriousPuzzles.com.

The Isis Adventure from Sonic Games has set the bar quite high for the puzzle game industry. From the same inventor, Andrew Reeves, comes a new interactive electronic puzzle.

The iball3 is a very interesting puzzle game that exercises your memory, at the same time that tests your patience. The object of the puzzle is to turn on the six lights to the same color, before the LED display reaches 0. It almost looks like you're trying to disarm a bomb before the timer runs out... But there's more to it.

The transparent blue-colored ball has six buttons that can show either red, green or blue lights in level one and four colors in level two. Every time you start a game, there's a new light sequence you have to memorize and solve within 90 seconds. Solve the first level in 20 seconds or less and you advance to level two, where you'll have 60 seconds to to get an i-code and be entered in worldwide leader board.

Inside the package comes a very cool stand to display the iball3 and an extra 3-battery pack (the puzzle requires 3 batteries to run). Now that's something you don't see everyday! Most of the times, battery-powered games don't even come with a starting set, let alone a spare one. Perhaps the developers thought ahead of the extreme use the puzzle would have and were nice enough to include a spare set.

When you first turn on the iball3, it could be a while before you start understanding what you're supposed to do. Memorizing the color sequence for six buttons can be quite tricky, so practice until you get the hang of it, and before you know it, you have spent more than an hour without even thinking about putting it down.

For you to have an idea, think about the electronic game "Simon", from the 70's. Even I wasn't born back then, but I'm sure you've heard about it. With Simon, you also had to memorize a sequence and then repeat it, but the iball3 is much more complex than that. There's a strategy involved and it requires a lot of concentration.

Every time you press a button, assuming you're in level one, you will get one of the three possible colors lighten up. To proceed, press another one of the remaining 5 buttons. If you turn on the same color as the first button, you have now two equal colors lighten up, but if you're wrong, both lights go off and you have to start up again, until you get all six buttons of the same color. 

Do keep in mind that each button has its own color sequence. If you get a green light in one particular button and after that, you get a blue light on the exact same button, doesn't mean that you'll light up a blue light after a green one, on any of the other buttons. It's completely random and the sequence resets if you didn't solve it in time.

After a while, when you're more familiarized with the puzzle, it won't be hard to get to the second level. The hard part is solving level two in time to get the i-code, in order to enter the leader boards (such feat is yet to be accomplished). Now instead of red, green and blue, you'll also have to worry about memorizing a fourth color added to the sequence. The fourth color is actually no more than a combination of both red and blue lights, turned on at the same time on a particular button, giving you a slight purple color.

If you didn't have enough motivation already, to keep trying and solving level two to enter the leader boards, there's a special red Elite iball3 up for grabs, for those who can solve it in under 9 seconds. The Elite iball3 has three levels and five lights. To enter level three you have to solve the second level within 30 seconds - that's half of what you need to get the i-code in a regular iball3.

I only have three electronic games in my collection (iball3 included), and the reason I don't have more is because it gets quite repetitive very quickly once the novelty wears off, so unless it's for collecting purposes, it's hard to come up with many reasons to buy them.

This is different with the iball3, at least for now... The reason for this, is the clever implementation of the leader boards. Even if you're feeling tired of it already, there's always the incentive of keep going and try to beat a certain record.

Overall, the iball3 was a pleasant surprise and very different from what I've seen around. It's extremely addictive once you understand the main goal, but to reach such heights, you'll experience a few moments of frustration, so keep practicing and have patience. You'll get there eventually....

EDIT: Now also available from SeriousPuzzles.com

I have a love/hate relationship with Wire Puzzles, or String Puzzles (remove the string) for that matter, as they are very closely related. I do love the fact that they can provide a tremendous challenge, and keep you guessing the solution for ages. But it's also this extreme difficulty that can keep one away from them, as frustration kicks in pretty quickly when we simply don't know what to do with them anymore.

The Silent "E" by PuzzleMaster, can be one of such puzzles, although it's not by far the most difficult wire puzzle I had the pleasure to solve.

The goal seems simple enough. You just have to remove the golden ring from the "E", but to get things complicated, the ring is trapped by an arc that's large than it's diameter. The trick is finding a way that will surpass that barrier.

One thing that's common among this type of puzzles is how devious the solution can be. With other types of puzzles, you don't always know the solution, but you know how to get there. An example of this can be an Assembly Puzzle - you're given a certain number of pieces and in order to solve it, you know you have to assemble them to fit in a frame or a box. The problem is just figuring out how to combine those pieces. It doesn't work like this with a Wire puzzle. Sometimes you just don't have a clue how you're supposed to reach the solution. You know that the ring has to come out, but the "how" is what makes these puzzles so darn difficult and so fascinating at the same time, which makes them look impossible to solve.

The rating for this one is an 8/10 on the PuzzleMaster scale (Demanding). As you can see, it's not that hard compared to others, but still tough enough to let you think for several days. It actually took me about two weeks to solve it, although they weren't entirely dedicated to it, as I tried others too.

My initial thought was that the arc that's attached to the "E" frame was just a distraction from the actual solution, but as it turns out, you do need it. You have to pass the ring around the arc, and to do that you have to get both ends as far as you can from each other within the frame. When you do this, the tip of the arc will be at the same distance from the back of the "E" and then, you just pass the ring around it and it's freed. To get a better understanding on how the solution works, you can take a look at the PuzzleMaster's solution sheet here.

If you hate someone and would like to see them extremely frustrated, I recommend offering them one of these. Wire Puzzles are among the hardest ones you can find, and as hard they may be, you do have a very satisfying feeling after solving one.

The Silent "E", and many other Wire Puzzles can be found at PuzzleMaster.

Gary Spencer-Purvis from Designersaurus Rex isn't that much known in the mechanical puzzle market right now, but his latest creation is probably going to change that. Produced by Moulding Innovations in the UK, the Dioctipoid 1.0 and 2.0 are a new Twisty Puzzle sphere, released in August 2011.

To someone unfamiliar with this type of puzzles, you twist and turn its segments in order to get the initial pattern on the sphere. To better understand this, you can take a look at the instructions on the official site here.

Each sphere has its own color scheme with colored tiles instead of stickers. Although some people prefer stickers in Twisty Puzzles, I actually think that in this case, the choice was correct. The scheme in the Dioctipoid 1.0 is comprised by four-pointed stars in six different colors (red, yellow, green, light-blue, dark-blue and purple), surrounded by white rhombi with the Dioctipoid logo in raised text using a nice ambigram (probably one of the reasons why the tiles were chosen).

In the Dioctipoid 2.0, the white rhombi were replaced by colored ones, and each star has now two of the same color, adjacent in opposite sides.

As expected in a sphere puzzle, the parts are tight together, so the segments have to be perfectly aligned to allow a smoother turning. To help you make sure of this, you'll hear a click whenever a successful twist is made, much like you're used to if you've played with Meffert's puzzles before.

Although it's a bit similar in appearance to Tony Fisher's Octaball, which is a transformation of a FTO (Face Turning Octahedron) by David Pitcher, the similarities stop there. The color scheme is different and the mechanism is quite unique. The segments move on top of some kind of rail system just above the inner solid sphere (it feels solid, because of the puzzle's weight, which feels a little hefty). Very remarkable for this type of puzzles and will certainly influence future creations by other designers.

Solving the Dioctipoid can prove to be a very hard task. To have an idea check out this comparison with the Rubik's Cube. I have them for almost a week now and still didn't manage to solve neither one. The discussion going around the puzzle community is that it's solved like a FTO or even a Rex Cube. Since I haven't solved any of those, the solving experience is very new to me, not that it's such a bad thing. 

Not having solved previous similar puzzles will give you a completely different perspective on how to tackle this tough challenge. As of now, the most I got was three completed stars, both in a straight line or around one of the "poles". The key now is to find the right strategy to finish the remainder ones.

If the Dioctipoid 1.0 is hard, then what to say about the 2.0. Instead of the stars and white rhombi, you now have to worry about two colored rhombi for each correspondent star. The colors used are the same though. A good thing is that because of the ambigram logo in the rhombus, there's no need to pay special attention to orientation. Nevertheless, the most far I got until now, was to have two opposite shapes solved. Many work to do ahead...

Having a moderate sized Twisty Puzzle collection, it sure is nice to have something different from what I've seen. Both puzzles have very nice design features, from the logo to the stylish stands already included in the package, you'll feel you're in possession of a high quality item.

To those already very used to solving these puzzles, the Dioctipoid can provide a serious challenge and on top of that, there's a competition going to win money for the fastest one. With every Dioctipoid, you will receive a card token that will guarantee you an entry to this tournament. See here for more information.

Personally, I liked the Dioctipoid 1.0 better, because of the simpler and more recognizable pattern, but I will definitely stay tuned for new versions in the near future.

A year ago, I reviewed the Dael 'O Ring - Easy Yellow, a nice Hidden Maze (Sleeve-on-Cylinder Mazes) puzzle invented by Cor Vissers and Gert Santman. In a nutshell, the Dael 'O Ring is an updated and improved version of the Dool 'O Rinth, a set of six level puzzles first released sixteen years ago. For a more detailed description, please refer to the Easy Yellow review here.

Hidden Maze puzzles aren't that common in the market, so the Dael 'O Ring series is a welcome addition to this type of puzzles. 

The first level hit the stores in the Fall of last year, with new levels being released only a few months apart. There will be six levels of difficulty as well. Starting with the Easy Yellow and followed by Simple Orange, Silly Green, Complex Blue, Crazy Red and Terrible Black, the six colors will gradually have harder levels and more complex mazes to solve.

After solving one puzzle, there's a simple feature that let's you start again immediately. With a straight path that crosses the entire maze from top to bottom, you just need to place the ring at the top of the stick and click it right into place for another go at a quicker time.

As of now (early December 2011), there are two more colors available: the Simple Orange and the Silly Green, with the last one hitting the market last October. A good thing is that they're all the same price, regardless of the color (difficulty level) you choose to buy. Although this sounds only logical, it doesn't always happen with other types of puzzles you see in the market today...

Having played with the Easy Yellow before and spending around twenty minutes or so in my first try, I already had an idea of what I would get in the next one - harder maze to navigate and most importantly, more time to solve.

Knowing the simple characteristics of the classic mazes, you can expect in a harder level, more dead-ends and probably a longer path from start to finish. This is exactly what happens in the new Simple Orange, more of everything.

The puzzle feels and behaves just like the first one. What changes is just the color and complexity of the maze, so you'll feel like a natural playing with a new level.

It took me about an hour and a half to finally see the ring out of the stick. Most of the times, I had it very close to the end, but I might as well be at the beginning and be as close. That feeling you have of almost solving it, is just a trap, as I found myself countless times in that situation. Regardless of the path I took at the beginning, the ring seem to fall in the exact same place every time.

After some time of roaming around in the maze, you'll be more familiarized with the path and which turns you should  and shouldn't take. Going back a little when you feel you're almost there, might seem a little counter-intuitive, but it's exactly what you should do.

All in all, the Simple Orange is a nice step up from the Easy Yellow. From twenty minutes to an hour and a half is certainly a bigger challenge, but still nothing too big that can build much frustration.

Nothing silly about this one... This is the third level in the series, launched just a couple of months ago and as you can imagine, it's also harder. Well, not that harder though, because it actually took me about forty minutes to get the ring out, so less than half the time spent on the previous one.

Now, the reason why it took me less time, might be related to the fact that I started solving it right after I finish the Simple Orange and I was somewhat more accustomed its particularities... Or, I was just plain lucky and found my way without getting trapped in many dead-ends.

The puzzle does seem harder than the second level, because it it's not as easy to freely navigate through the maze, which is the first thing you notice when you pick it up right after an easier one.

One thing that looks different is that there's less straight lines and much more turns. Even a dead-end seems shorter, which by the way isn't necessarily a bad thing, because you can go back just a little and find another way. What probably makes it harder is the combination of more turns and less straights with a longer path to the exit.

Although it took less time to solve, I can honestly say that it felt tougher than the previous levels. As there's less room to freely move around, it's easier to get frustrated, so I can see it gets much worse in the coming levels.

The Dael 'O Ring - Simple Orange and Silly Green were excellent challenges, and though with the second one just hitting the frontier of frustration, it's really refreshing to play with a different type of puzzle, other than the usual Assembly or Take-Apart, to name a couple of examples.

The fact that you can't see the actual maze you're trying to solve, and just relying in your sense of touch is by itself, a tremendous challenge, but after solving one of the harder levels, you do get an accomplishment and rewarding feeling that few puzzles can provide.

I enjoyed very much playing with the Easy Yellow and these two new colors are definitely worth a try. Can't wait for the new levels.

You can order the Dael 'O Ring different colors right from this online shop. Unfortunately, they're only available to a select EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden). Hoping it won't be long to add the rest of the World.