iWoodPuzzle: free iphone ipad puzzle app Review

iWoodPuzzle is yet another version of Rush Hour. However, this time the red rectangle can move up and down, as well as side to side. The objective for all of the levels: move it to the bottom right corner - notice the checkerboard image there. One of the best free puzzle apps of 2012? Not sure yet, since I only played the easy & medium levels and have not paid for the harder levels.

Quartzic: great free iphone ipad puzzle app

The object of Quartzic is to color the map (squares and rectangles) with only 4 colors such that, no 2 adjacent countries have the same color. This is based on a classic math theorem, which may or may not have been proved, I'm not sure.

There are 60 puzzles. Some puzzle levels require using blue or red a limited number of times; this complicates things! I am stuck on level 15. Without a doubt, this a challenging, fun game and is one of the best puzzle apps of 2012! Martin Roberts is the author - excellent job!

Doodle Shape: iphone ipad puzzle app Review

Doodle Shape is an action puzzle game. Tap on the correct shape and color that matches the top line. It changes every 5 seconds or so.

Vincenzo Chianese is the author. One of the best puzzle apps of 2012? No, but hey, it's free. Kids will like it.

Fan Mail

It's nice to know that my efforts are appreciated. This from a new follower:

"My friend Bashi mentioned your blog, so I took a look at it. And I'm totally loving it. I've downloaded more paid apps in the past 30 minutes than I have in the past 2 months. Your analysis is spot-on, and you seem to go right to the issues that I actually care about - is the puzzle original? Is it good value? how elegant is the solution? How fair is the process needed to get there? Anyway, you're clearly someone who knows his puzzles."

Isis: Mechanical Puzzle of the Week: Review

Isis is a magnificent metal puzzle. The object is to open it. Inside, you will find a code. Enter the code on the company's website to get a hint that leads to a prize.

I wrote about Isis for Games Magazine in the May 2007 issue. I met with the principal designer and public relations manager for several hours. About a year later Isis was being sold at the store The Sharper Image. It was $250. The Sharper Image later went bankrupt because their air purifiers were deemed to be harmful. I wandered in one of their stores and bought the last Isis for just $50. Oh yeah!

The Isis is very difficult! Buy 3 copies: one for yourself, one as a gift, and one as an investment. I predict that these will be worth $500 each in 10 years when they are no longer in production.

Click here for more information.

Snake Slider: iphone ipad puzzle app Review

Snake Slider looks a lot like Wriggle, which is one of the best puzzle apps of all time. The object of Snake Slider: wriggle the snakes around so that only the green snake can escape.

125 levels. Here's how Snake Slider is different from Wriggle: eating an apple increases the length of that snake. Eating a mushroom decreases that snake's length. Keys must be eaten to unlock the exit. Finally, there is a sokoban element: push the gray squares & rectangles to move more freely.

I have solved all 125 levels - because I needed to. It's fun! Definitely one of the best puzzle apps of 2012. Bas de Reuver is the author. Excellent job!

Help Out: another puzzle app version of Rush Hour

How many versions of Rush Hour do we need? This is identical to the famous Rush Hour produced by ThinkFun. Help Out does have one nice feature: instead of cars, you are moving sushi, or cool neon rectangles.

Digitron: puzzle app for iphone and ipad

Digitron: basic mathematics meets Tetris. Numbers fall down to the grid. Basic math symbols also fall down. Arrange them strategically to make true equations and score points.

Hog Frog: free puzzle app for iphone ipad

The objective of Hog Frog is to catch all the flies in 3 flicks of the tongue. The tongue will have to ricochet off the wood to bend around objects.

There's definitely a mathematical puzzling element to Hog Frog. It's worth a free download and testing.

Cast Loop: mechanical puzzle of the week

Cast Loop was designed by my Finnish Puzzle friend Vesa Timonen. Object #1: take apart the 2 pieces - not hard. Object #2: restore them - harder than you think!

Click here for the solution.

Last summer I bought 2 extra copies to give away as gifts.

Triple Town: iphone ipad puzzle app

Triple Town is very similar to one of my all-time favorites: Tripevo. Triple Town has received a couple thousand ratings so far on the app store. My guess is that Apple listed it as What's Hot.

Place 3 grass tiles together and they turn into a bush. 3 bushes turn into a house. You get the idea. This is a very good game, one of the best puzzle apps of 2012. However, for my money, Tripevo is the better game.

Word BullsEye

Word BullsEye is similar to Mastermind. The object is to guess the correct 4 letter word. Suppose you guess B-L-U-E. If the bull says you got 1 bullseye, then one letter is correct. 1 star means that the letter is correct, but in the wrong location.

Why this is better than Mastermind: 1. You cannot guess AAAA, because that's not a word. 2. Your list of guesses is not on display, which means you have to work your memory.

My first success was after 5 tries. Easy I thought. My next one took 18 guesses. This is definitely one of the best word puzzle apps of 2012. Saba Kazi is the author.

Rubik's Cube in the News

Click here for the NY Times article which mentions our friend Jerry Slocum.

Photon: puzzle app?

Photon is listed as a puzzle app, but it's really an arcade game. Discs fall down. Drag your finger across discs of the same color to score points and eliminate them.

Not up my alley, but you might like it.

Pipeman: free puzzle app for iphone and ipad

Pipeman is a free puzzle app where the objective is to connect the pipes so nothing leaks. I was able to do 2 levels, but the controls were not very smooth. So I gave up.

Not one of the best puzzle apps of 2012. Sorry

Cast Plate: mechanical puzzle of the week

The object of Cast Plate is to remove the ring. Swivel it around from hole to hole until it escapes. This is actually a maze puzzle: with dead ends and unending loops. It's difficult to see the path. Hint: think about equilateral triangles.

Click here for the solution.

Pudding Battle: free puzzle ap for iphone ipad

Pudding Battle is similar to Bejeweled. Switch adjacent colors to get 3 or more in a row or in a column.

There is a time limit, so hurry up and score points!

Does this make the list of best puzzle apps of 2012? Not really.

Games Magazine: March 2012

The March 2012 issue is now on the newsstands. Read my review of what's new in the world of mechanical puzzles.

Games Magazine does not have an on-line presence. It is sold in Barnes & Noble, Target and various well-stocked magazine/newsstands. For some reason, my local supermarket carries it.

Addictive Puzzle SquarO: puzzle app for ipad iphone

The title of this puzzle is 'Addictive Puzzle: SquareO'. The number in each square indicates how many corners should be lit. Your task: figure out which corners to tap on.

There are 4 levels of difficulty. The Evil level: the number in the square represents the number of halves in each corner. I have not solved one of these levels yet.

Good mathematical logic puzzle. Good smattering of easy, medium & evil-hard puzzles. One of the best puzzle apps of 2012? Quite possibly!

Dr. Pipe: free iphone ipad puzzle app review

Dr. Pipe: connect the start & end point with the pipes that are given: look at the top of the image to see which pipes are to be placed next. As you can see, this is a very serious puzzle! One of the best puzzle apps of 2012? Possibly. You tell me.

Cast Duet: mechanical puzzle of the week

The object of Cast Duet: swivel the two half rings (in the picture it looks like 1 ring, but it's actually 2 half rings) to various parts of the grid.

This double maze was invented by Oskar van Deventer about 10 years ago. At that time, it was called Matchmaker and it was made exclusively by Tom Lensch, master woodcraftsman. Tom Lensch's version is made of wood and is much larger. It's a gem.

Fortunately, Hanayama has created this smaller, more affordable version.

Click here for the solution.

Sliding Tiles: great puzzle app for iphone and ipad

Sliding Tiles consists of 100 sliding tile puzzles. Some of the puzzles are just square tiles. Most of the puzzles have funky shapes that make for very challenging puzzles. I have solved about 60 of them. None of the last 20 which are really challenging.

Full disclosure, these puzzles come from the Grabarchuk family. I know them from the International Puzzle Party meetings. They are extremely prolific at producing challenging, fun puzzles. This set of puzzles: if they were made of wood, I'd probably buy them all at $10 each. But this app makes it so much more affordable!
Unquestionably, this is one of the best puzzle apps of 2012.

Letris 2: word puzzle app for ipad, iphone

Letris 2 is similar to Tetris. Letters fall down and you must spell words. Extra points if you can clear the board. I've done the first 2 levels and must admit: it's fun. And hey, it's free.

One of the Best puzzle apps of 2012? Possibly.

Math Riddles about Age

Click here for some classic math riddles. Some of the problems require basic algebra; others are sneaky!