Here's another great Constantin puzzle that is pretty deceiving, in the way that it looks like a simple and easy puzzle, but in reality it can be much more difficult than expected. With a superb and mesmerizing design, this puzzle can lure you into a trap if you think it's a walk in the park.

The 7 Sterne (sterne is German for star) looks absolutely gorgeous with its impressive arabic-like pattern. Seen from above, the pieces form a circle with seven six-pointed stars. At first glance, it appears that the pattern is comprised of 30 identical pieces. That's an illusion, though, because it's actually 8 uniquely-shaped pieces, each a different configuration of those smaller pieces joined together at different angles. Not so simple now, right?

Made with laser-cut wood, both tray and pieces, the puzzle feels very light in the hand. The pieces have a lighter shade tan the tray for maximum visual effect and the size is a little smaller than I would've liked, but still acceptable for a packing puzzle: it measures about 10cm in diameter (4").

Now, the difficulty is rated as a level 8/10, but I actually found it slightly tougher than that - over an hour and a half to solve it. For many, this could easily turn into quite a frustrating puzzle, given the unusual shape of the pieces. It's very difficult to see where each piece should go. Even so, the tray gives you a small help, since the edges have the same shape as the extremities of the pieces, making it a tad less difficult. Other than this, there's little to help you solve this puzzle. It's a hell of a challenge, that much I can tell you, and definitely not for beginners.

Closing Comments:

7 Sterne is a magnificent puzzle! Yes, it's difficult, really really difficult, but the rewarding feeling you get you finally place that last piece is totally worth the extra effort. Also, for its beautiful design, it can be a great decorating object.

Availability: You can find the 7 Sterne puzzle at PuzzleMaster for about $17 CAD. Other interesting designs from Constantin are also available.

Links:

Jean Claude Constantin - Official Website

Jean Claude Constantin at Puzzle Place

Here's a type of candy that's not harmless to your health in large quantities. In fact, the more you take the better for you. As advertised on the box, these candies are free of sugar and calories but contain 100% vitamin FUN. Made at SmartGames by confectioner Raf Peeters, the IQ Candy will be the delight for all kids and adults alike.

The IQ Candy comes in a different package than the others in the IQ series. A little bigger, but still practical enough to take it with you on your travels. The tray measures about 15cm in diameter (6"), and has a clear plastic tray to keep the pieces from being lost.

The game consists of seven candy-colored pieces in different trominoes and tetrominoes shapes. All pieces fill an entire 5x5 grid with no empty spaces, but the grid itself has something different from the regular 2D packing puzzles, as about half of the 25 spaces have vertical and horizontal pins on it (12, to be exact). The pieces themselves have holes, but they're placed at different directions, like the pins, and will only fit on certain places.

What's great about the IQ series is that the games have very simple and easy to understand rules, so you will only need a couple of minutes to familiarize yourself with the game. First, before starting with any challenge, you have to make sure the game board is placed in the correct orientation (the only corner with a pin should be at the bottom left). Then, you just need to place the pieces as shown in any of the 60 challenges found in the booklet and solve the puzzles.

On the first challenges you only need to place a couple of the remaining pieces on the tray, but the harder ones will have just one or two pieces. There's only one solution per challenge. You can also try to solve puzzles that aren't on the booklet. Start with one piece and work your way until all pieces are placed on the game board.

You can place the pieces on the game board with either side and orientation. If a piece doesn't fit with a certain orientation, try flipping it. Besides the horizontal and vertical holes, each pieces also has a cross-shaped hole that fits on any pin, provided you place the piece as such.

The difficulty level of the IQ Candy is not as difficult as you might think. The pins actually reduce the number of possible configurations, which makes it easier to solve the puzzles. Mind you, easier doesn't necessarily mean easy. Just less difficult than other puzzle games.

Closing Comments:

IQ Candy is a superb puzzle game. The design is magnificent, made with bright colors, and the pins in the game board is a nice change from the more common packing puzzles, which is a welcome variation. The taste is a little "plasticky", but the IQ Candy is worth every minute you spend with it. Playing with candy never felt this good.

Availability: The IQ Candy is available from major online stores like Amazon.com or in Europe at Amazon.co.uk.

A few Challenges:

Creative Crafthouse always makes interesting puzzles. Whichever type of puzzle you like, you'll probably find something that deserves your attention...and money. Puzzle Boxes are a great example of Dave Janelle's superb craftsmanship, and the Secret Combination Puzzle Box is a unique design that can be attempted by anyone.

All the components of this puzzle box are made of high quality hardwood. It's a regular sized box, measuring 12.8cm in length, 6.5cm in width and 6.3cm in height (5" x 2.6" x 2.5"). The design is interesting enough to capture your attention, because of the three dials on the top of the box, but I found its overall design too bland. The dials should have been made with a contrasting color, or even with three different wood tones, to make it more visually appealing.

Leaving the aesthetics behind, the whole mechanism works as it should. The dials turn smoothly and effortlessly, so it's up to you to find the correct sequence to easily open the lid. You have to find the correct position for all three dials simultaneously, otherwise the lid won't open.

Now, in other circumstances, this could have been an extremely difficult puzzle to solve, since there are hundreds of possible positions and combinations the three dials could've had. Fortunately, for you and for me, the designer didn't want to make the mechanism more complex than it already was, so he settled for a simpler combination. You'll still have some discovering to do, but it won't take hours (unless you are very bad with puzzles). What you'll have to do is simply try different combinations - some patterns. All I can tell you is that you can turn the dials in 90º angles, and you'll eventually find the correct sequence if you're persistent. You can hear a ball rattling inside, but you'll have to decide if it's part of the mechanism or just another red herring.

Closing Comments:

Janelle's Secret Combination Puzzle Box is a very original design, a bit different from the trick puzzle boxes, where all or most of the mechanism is hidden from view and you have to go at it by relying on other senses. This one is more interactive and because of its simple design anyone can try their luck at opening it.

Availability: The Secret Combination Puzzle Box is available at PuzzleMaster for just $20 CAD. Check out other creations by Creative Crafthouse.

Siebenstein-Spiele has many interesting packing puzzles that go against any preconceived notions you might have on this type of puzzles. Some of these are quite unusual creations that will certainly baffle you and give you a run for your money. A Pair of Twins is one of such puzzles, but be careful not to be deceived by its true goal.

The design of the puzzle is made so that two sets of pieces are presented in two distinct shapes, a triangle and a square, both sets with completely different pieces. For contrast, one set is made with a light wood tone and the other in a darker shade. This is a rather small puzzle measuring 12cm x 7.5cm (4.7" x 3"). The pieces are laser-cut from plywood.

The solving experience on this puzzle was almost ruined by poor instructions, plain and simple. The instructions come in English and German (the native language of the designer, Jürgen Reiche), but what it says in German is completely different from what it is written in English - Good thing I know how to use Google Translate.

This, of course, wasn't noticed by me at first. Since I don't know German, I trusted the English instructions, which merely ask you to "Cover up all pieces of one colour with all pieces of the other colour". Now, anyone would probably interpret this as to cover one shape with the pieces of the other shape, and vice-versa...And that's what I did for probably 15/20 minutes, until I started to suspect that I wasn't going far with the current task at hand. Simply put, the pieces of one shape can't possible make the other. So, my guess was that I was missing something. Indeed, I was.

After looking attentively at the instructions and noticing that the German instructions were a lot bigger, I suspected that something could've been lost in translation. Not only only something was lost, but they gave a completely new meaning to the description of the puzzle. It's like it was written by two completely different persons. Roughly, the German translation made with the online tool says that you have to find an identical, congruent figure that can be made with both sets of pieces, for one color as well as the other. That's a little different from what's asked in English, wouldn't you agree?

After discovering the true goal of the puzzle, it didn't take me long to figure out the correct shape you must build with both sets of pieces...And voilá, the two figures are identical in shape and size, whether you make them with the dark pieces or the light-colored pieces. It can be a little challenging to figure out the correct shape, but once you do, it's pretty easy to solve both puzzles.

Closing Comments:

Sometimes, poor instructions can make a difference of a good puzzle and a bad one. Fortunately, I was able to minimize the damage, and a simple translation cleared the subject. From now on, I will be more alert whenever I have to follow instructions by this manufacturer. I still respect Siebenstein's work, as their puzzles are magnificently made. Just have to be more careful with what I read.

Availability: You can find the puzzle A Pair of Twins at PuzzleMaster for $18 CAD. Others from Siebenstein-Spiele are also available.

I'm used to being pleasantly surprised whenever I play with a new Constantin puzzle, but I still marvel at his craftsmanship and superb quality of his designs. The Nagelbox 30 (Nagel=Nail) is another one of Constantin's excellent creations...and this is a hefty one - perfect as a center piece on a coffee table for guests to play with.

The first surprising fact about the Nagelbox 30 is its huge size. It's quite unusual for a 3D packing puzzle to be made in such a large size. This one measures 11.5cm (4.5") in diameter (14.5cm (5.7") if you count the protruding poles) and 9.3cm (3.7") in height. Also, because the puzzle is made from 100% natural wood, you can expect it to weigh quite a bit.

The design is a perfect mix of metal and wood, kind of like in the same way as two other Constantin's puzzles, the Pack + 1 and the Pilled Logs. All three puzzles are made from many types of woods, hence the different colors, and the poles are made of aluminum which reduces the total weigh of the puzzle considerably. All in all, it makes for a great looking puzzle.

The puzzle consists of nine identical pieces (L-shaped trominoes), but some have metal poles attached to them and other don't. Actually, only three of the pieces don't have a metal pole attached. The other six are placed on the edges of the box and go through the holes strategically placed on its four sides. Also, the poles are attached at different parts of the pieces, so you need to choose wisely which ones to use. When solved, no piece shall be visible over the top edge of the box.

Despite what it may appear, the puzzle is actually pretty easy to solve, mostly due to the nature of the pieces. They're all identical, and the ones that need to go through the holes with the poles need to be placed in a specific position, thus leaving very few possibilities for the remaining three pieces. Nevertheless, the solving process is still fun and enjoyable, and playing with pieces this big reminds me of those extra large LEGO blocks. Who doesn't like to play with LEGO blocks?

Closing Comments:

I had a great time playing with the Nagelbox 30, even though it was a short time. The puzzle is superbly made with quality materials and I can easily recommend it to any puzzle fan, collector or not. This will also be a great one to start with 3D packing puzzles.

Availability: You can find the Nagelbox 30 at Brilliant Puzzles for $42.95 USD. Also, check out their selection of Constantin puzzles, and you might find yourself with a few extra puzzles on your collection pretty soon.

The IQ Fit is a series of colorful puzzles by Mi-Toys. Each puzzle presents you with many challenges using different color combinations. These puzzles are designed by Y. Gong, but knowing his shady practices of altering the designs of other renowned designers ever-so-slightly in order to avoid copyright violation, I wouldn't hold my breath as to the authorship of these IQ Fit puzzles as well. Maybe I'm being a little unfair, but once you go that road you can't ask for respect from the puzzle community.

Design authorship apart, The L Challenge looks interesting enough, and the bright colors make it stand among other more bland colorless puzzles.  The pieces are made of hardwood and painted in four different colors. The build quality is satisfying, considering its low price. Each color represents a different shape, so you have four identical L-shaped pieces for each of the four colors (green, yellow, red, blue).

The puzzle comes neatly packed in a tray, but unfortunately it's made of paper. In this case, a wooden tray would've made a bigger difference in the presentation. In the end, you have to keep the paper tray, because otherwise you don't have anything to keep the pieces organized.

The L Challenge comes with 24 "different" challenges, but from what I've seen, they're not that different from each other (difficulty wise and in variety). Essentially, there are five different shapes you can build with the pieces. There are various solutions for each shape with distinct color combinations, but they're quite easy to solve and don't seem challenging at all. Honestly, I don't understand why it's rated as a difficulty level 10/10. I managed to solve several of the 24 challenges within 5 minutes, and the rest is just more of the same, so the variety and novelty factor wears off pretty quickly. You can try to solve four shapes at a time with all 16 pieces, like the photo below.

Closing Comments:

The L Challenge proved to be a bit of a disappointment. Yes, it looks cool with all the colorful pieces, but it leaves an underwhelming feeling for a packing puzzle fan like me. The challenges can be an incentive to keep playing, but bear in mind that they won't get harder as you try to solve them all.

Availability: You can get a copy of The L Challenge at PuzzleMaster for about $11 CAD. The others in the IQ Fit series are also available.

Challenges:

Funzzle is a collection of interlocking puzzles made of bamboo and designed by Y. Gong. Each puzzle is regarded as extremely challenging, but you should half expect this for most of interlocking puzzles...At least, that's what I've been experiencing for years.

In fairness, Mr Y.Gong didn't come up with the Kappa design. The original (Noncsi) is made by Tamás Vanyó, as Mr Gong only made a couple of modifications to avoid it being an exact copy of Tamás' design. It's not a very honest practice, in my opinion, but I hope the original designer is ok with it.

Bamboo puzzles have a completely different feel from their hardwood counterparts. For one, they are much lighter in weight, since bamboo is less dense, but their appearance is a little different as well, due to the lighter color shades of bamboo. It all comes down to preference, or as I'd like to call it, diversity in one's collection. I like to have a mixed bag of different materials in my collection.

Any good interlocking puzzle has it's internal mechanism cleverly hidden and even the first piece is tricky to remove or to find out which piece really is the first one to remove. It should be a nice balance between clever design and difficulty. Well, such is not the case in this Kappa puzzle. The first piece to be removed is clearly visible miles away and it can be removed in one simple move. For reference, the original design by Tamás needs two moves to release the first piece.

What does this mean in terms of difficulty, you might be wondering? A lot, since it makes the puzzle much less challenging than it should be. The eight pieces slide along a square frame, in sequence, and they can only be removed one at a time. As you remove piece by piece, you must constantly slide the pieces back and forth to make room for the next piece in line to be released. The reassembly didn't much time or was it that challenging, but only because I didn't shuffle the pieces and had them placed in the correct sequence out of the frame. If you like a real challenge you can mix the pieces once removed from the frame and try to figure out which pieces should go first and which ones should go last.

Closing Comments:

I ended up with mixed feelings about the Kappa puzzle. On the outside, it looks great with an unusual design for an interlocking puzzle, but the execution of the idea leaves a lot to be desired, since it's a cheap copy of the original and it doesn't even work as it was meant to be. I still have a couple of the Funzzle puzzles to review, but judging by the quality of the first one, I don't expect much from the others.

Availability: The Kappa puzzle and all the others in the Funzzle series can be purchased at PuzzleMaster.

George Miller is best known in the puzzle community as a puzzle prototyper, helping designers to transform their ideas into something real and palpable. However, he doesn't just make other people's ideas come true, he also does this for himself with his own designs and he's pretty good at it. One of such puzzles is the Flexi Cube, a versatile puzzle with six different challenges made by Brainwright.

What I really liked about the design of the Flexi Cube was its bright colors and the unusual shape of the pieces. The ability to build the cube into different color patterns is a very welcome bonus for those of you that are not satisfied with just one solution - Mind you, there's only one solution for each of the six challenges.

The Flexi Cube basically works like the classic Elastic Cube (seen here from my collection). Each of the 12 pieces is connected to two others by an elastic string, allowing you to bend them in any direction. When solving one of the challenges, two pieces can be joined together to form one of the six faces of a cube, much like a jigsaw puzzle. The idea is to turn the flat pieces (2D) into a cube (3D). The cube is small, about 4.7cm in diameter (1.85"). The pieces are made of thick and durable plastic and the string is of very good quality - won't break unless you really stretch it to ridiculous lengths. When a cube is made it will hold together quite firmly until you disassemble it again.

I didn't solve all six challenges, but was able to make three of them in a relative short time (10 minutes). Overall, I didn't find it very difficult. The challenge that was probably harder to make was the one that asks you to get each side of the cube with different colors. I'm just not sure if my interpretation of "all sides different" is the same as them, because what I ended up with was each side with two different colors, but opposite sides have the same color combination. Now, if that's not the solution, then I guess I found a seventh challenge, since it doesn't match any of the others. The easiest challenge might be getting one single color on each side (there are six different colors). Here, you just need to find a way to join two pieces of the same color together and then work your way until you have all six sides with a solid color. The third challenge I solved was more like a random solve, ending up with four different sides and two of the same color.

Closing Comments:

Even though I didn't find the puzzle that much challenging, I honestly thought it was really fun to play with. I like how the pieces fit together with their curved inside shapes, and the possibility of multiple solutions is an added incentive to keep playing for a bit longer. By being a simple design devoid of any complexity, anyone with a curious mind can easily pick it up and try to solve any of its six challenges. You can also fold it into other shapes other than the cube - Thanks for the tip, Pantazis!

Availability: The Flexi Cube is available at your favorite Canadian puzzle store, PuzzleMaster. Check out more cool puzzles by Brainwright.

Additional Challenges:

A few years ago I reviewed the first of the Houdini Lock Series, a collection of trick locks, each with a different trick and mechanism. It took me a while to get the second puzzle in the series, Under Lock and Key, but better late than never...

The build quality of this lock is very similar to the first one: sturdy, made with solid metal parts, quite heavy and works exactly as it should - well, not exactly as you'd expect, but that's a given when it comes to a trick lock. Always deceptive, but quality is very good. The size of the lock is roughly 4.8cm in diameter (about 1.9").

The look of the puzzle is identical to any other ordinary padlock, but the similarities are merely aesthetic. Look closer, and you'll find it's much more than a simple lock and key. The main feature of the puzzle is a rotating disc with eight numbers engraved on it. The numbers have an alternating pattern, which may or may not have something to do with the solution.

The provided key fits on the keyhole, but it doesn't seem to produce any effect, whether you turn it left or right. Like any good puzzle lock, there's a couple of clever red herrings that will try to get you off track. Is the solution finding the correct sequence of the disc? Or is it trying to make the key work? Is the key even necessary? Are there any hidden clues? All these questions and more will pass through your head during your solving process, but that's part of the fun, isn't it?

The difficulty of the Under Lock and Key is a tad more challenging than the Dead Lock, but if you keep at it, you'll eventually discover its secret. It has that a-ha moment when you finally get it. I've seen many different mechanisms on trick locks and this one was new to me, which is always welcome in any puzzle.

Closing Comments:

Puzzle locks are always a good choice to trick family members and friends. They're an excellent source of entertainment in any social gathering, but also an object of admiration and fascination for its clever tricks and ingenious mechanisms. The Under Lock and Key from the Houdini Series is a very nice puzzle at an affordable price.

Availability: You can get the Under Lock and Key puzzle at Brilliant Puzzles for $19.95 USD. The others in the series are also available.

Continuing with themed puzzles, this week the horse lovers get a treat with Galop, a packing puzzle from the family of Picture Frame Puzzles, designed by Jean Claude Constantin from Germany. What seems like a simple puzzle at first sight, is actually a very difficult challenge, trying to pack all five pieces in the frame.

The puzzle is beautifully made with different shades of laser-cut wood (plywood), each piece designed with great detail, and complemented with a horseshoe-shaped tray. The horses are cut in different poses, adding extra complexity to an already difficult puzzle. It comes unsolved and without a solution, so you're on your own to try and find out how to neatly pack all the pieces in the frame. The puzzle is a bit small, measuring 12.2cm x 8.4cm (4.8" x 3.3").

I love Picture Frame Puzzles but they're usually quite challenging. What I find fascinating about this type of puzzles is how you need to study each piece, its curves and indentations, and trying to figure out how they can interact with other pieces in order to save the most space in the frame. It's a very immersive process, which few other puzzles are able to offer.

The difficulty of the puzzle is rated as a level 8/10, but this is very subjective. I agree with the difficulty, but it can be even harder if you've never solved one of these. It took me about 20 minutes to find a solution, and even so I'm not sure if it's the ideal solution, as the pieces seem too tight. One thing to be aware of is that you can only use the top side of the pieces - no flipping allowed - because the engraved marks are on one side only. Also be careful not to chip the pieces, since many of the edges are very small and fragile (e.g. the horses' hooves and ears). This happened to me on a couple of pieces, unfortunately.

Closing Comments:

Galop is a nice little puzzle, a bit challenging for a beginner, but its cute design will surely captivate the attention of any horse lover. If anything, it's a Constantin puzzle, which in itself is a guarantee of quality.

Availability: Galop is available at PuzzleMaster for $19 CAD. There's a wide selection of Constantin's puzzles, all great choices.

Links:

Jean Claude Constantin - Official Website

Jean Claude Constantin at Puzzle Place

If you're "fauler" you'll have a hard time solving this puzzle by Jean Claude Constantin. Fauler Hund (German for "lazy dog") is the perfect puzzle for all you canine lovers out there, but I'm sure it will also delight any packing puzzle aficionado.

Made with two contrasting wood tones, the pieces and the frame were laser-cut with plywood, a low quality type of wood, but necessary to achieve the precision seen in its design, since it's a softer material to work with laser-cutting machines.

Design-wise, the puzzle looks great. The shape of a dachshund is seen at the top edge of the frame, and the pieces, at first looking identical, are actually distinct from each other, having slightly different shapes. When solved, all the four bone-shaped pieces lie tightly in the frame without much wiggle room, even though there's a lot of empty space left.

I found the solution is very similar to the classic The Four T puzzle. The shape of the pieces in the two puzzles, despite appearing very different, are actually pretty similar when you analyse both puzzles. With this in mind, I didn't have much difficulty finding the right solution. On The Four T puzzle all the pieces are identical and therefore only one solution is possible. However, since the Fauler Hund puzzle has different pieces, it's possible to pack the pieces in a different order or orientation, but always in the same kind of arrangement, just rearranging and swapping some pieces. Only one side of the pieces shall be used, since the backside has the cut lines less pronounced.

Closing Comments:

Being a packing puzzle fan, it's always a pleasure to solve any of these puzzles, even more by being a design made by Constantin. It's a shame about the resemblance to The Four T puzzle, since I didn't find it as challenging as I would've liked.

Availability: Fauler Hund is available at PuzzleMaster for about $19 CAD. There's also many other interesting puzzle by Constantin there.

Links:

Jean Claude Constantin - Official Website

Jean Claude Constantin at Puzzle Place

Siebenstein-Spiele doesn't make many interlocking puzzles - most of their catalog is packing puzzles or slide puzzles - but the ones they do make, end up being quite impressive designs. Nur Mut (a German term meaning "Be brave!" or "Have courage!") is a tough interlocking puzzle, designed by Jürgen Reiche,  that will surely get you some frustrating moments.

I was very surprised by the size of the puzzle, which is not noticeable from the photos. This is actually one of the tiniest puzzles on my collection right now, measuring only 3cm in diameter (about 1.18"). It looks like a sample of another puzzle, but it's quite functional and surprisingly well made, considering the small size of its pieces.

Nur Mut consists of six interlocking pieces. There are only three distinct pieces: one group has three congruent pieces; the other group has two; and there's one single unique piece. The design is charming, with four acrylic pieces and two wooden, both in the middle of each layer. The pieces are laser-cut with precision, otherwise the puzzle wouldn't work so well at this size.

As expected from interlocking puzzles, taking it apart is not so difficult. I was able to solve it within a couple of minutes. The real challenge in these cases is returning it to its original shape, which is something that I always dread. From the photos, it's easy to see how the puzzle should look like when solved, but the correct sequence of moves is extremely difficult to figure out. I've tried to solve it with the help of the solution, downloaded from PuzzleMaster, but I found it very confusing. It's not a step by step guide, only a brief description of the solving process. It's also unclear whether the solution shown is to take it apart or to reassemble it. As of now, the puzzle is yet to be completely solved.

Closing Comments:

Nur Mut is a must-have for interlocking puzzle fans, but it's not recommended for beginners, or it will be a very frustrating puzzle. The design is what captivated my interest at first, and I'm glad to add another Siebenstein puzzle to my collection. And this one doesn't take much space, something very welcoming right now.

Availability: Nur Mut is available at PuzzleMaster for $12.99 CAD. Other puzzles by Siebenstein-Spiele are also available.